PLANE TROUBLE. A Philippine Airlines plane skids off the runaway at Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu City on a rainy Friday morning, Dec. 10, 2021. No one was harmed during the incident.
AT LEAST 34 flights to and from Cebu have been diverted or cancelled after a Philippine Airlines flight from Caticlan, Aklan skidded off the runway upon arrival Friday, December 10, 2021.
The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) confirmed this, saying the wheels of PAL flight PR 2369 veered into the grass at the side edge of the runway as it arrived from Caticlan, Aklan around 11:40 a.m. It was raining at the time.
GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. spokesperson Edilyth Maribojoc said the plane encountered the issue during the landing.
All the 29 passengers and four crew members on the plane were safe and were taken to Terminal 1.
The aircraft was retrieved and cleared from the runway at 2:18 p.m., said Maribojoc. The runway was opened for operations at 2:38 p.m., she added.
PAL issued an apology over the incident.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the partial blockage of the runway,” it said in a statement.
PAL said its operations teams assisted the passengers and promised to provide assistance.
The airline carrier said safety is its top priority and it is fully cooperating with the airport and aviation authorities conducting an investigation on the incident. (FVQ, JOB)
