NAIA int’l runway reopens 36 hrs. after Xiamen air incident

The international runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has been reopened just before Saturday noon, almost 36 hours after a Xiamen plane overshot the runway.

""NAIA's international runway 06/24 is now open for flight operations," the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said.

NAIA's international runway 06/24 is now open for flight operations.

— NAIA (@MIAAGovPH) August 18, 2018

A report by Mao dela Cruz on Super Radyo dzBB said the runway was opened at 11:28 a.m.

NAIA International Runway 06/24, binuksan na. | via Mao Dela Cruz pic.twitter.com/vINkjMcIgu

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) August 18, 2018

Dela Cruz, quoting airport officials, earlier clarified that initially, only the runway's flight tower became operational while awaiting a notice to airmen (NOTA) for flights to resume.

A subsequent report by Dela Cruz, however, said that the first flights departed and arrived via the runway shortly after its opening.

Airport officials said the first plane to take off at the runway since it re-opened was for AirSWIFT Flight 0333 bound for El Nido, Palawan at 11:33, or just five minutes after the reopening.

A Philippine Airlines flight (PR 1810) flying in from Davao was next land at the NAIA runway at 11:34 p.m., or just a minute after the AirSWIFT flight took off.

The Manila International Airport Authority was quoted as saying regular flights were being prioritized, while "recovering" flights — or those that got delayed or rebooked — will have to wait until midnight before they be accommodated.

The Xiamen plane, which was carrying Xiamen Air Flight MF8667 when it skidded off the runway of the NAIA before Thursday midnight due to the rains, was lifted from the runway around 2 a.m. Saturday and transferred to the remote parking bay of Balabag Aviation Complex.

A mobile crane was used to lift the airplane. Clearing operations were conducted by the MIAA after the plane was lifted to ensure that Runway 06/24 is clear before operations can go back to normal.

Around 150 flights have been canceled due the incident, while others were diverted to the Clark International Airport.

The MIAA on Friday apologized to airline passengers for the inconvenience caused by the incident.

The runway was originally scheduled to re-open Friday afternoon, but was pushed back to early Saturday morning after personnel had a hard time lifting the airplane. The NOTA issued, however, was further extended  to 12 p.m. — MDM, GMA News