CAAP informs airlines NAIA runway to remain closed until 4 p.m. Friday

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Friday issued a notice informing airlines that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s runway will remain close until late afternoon after Xiamen Air flight MF8667 overshot the runway.

It issued notice to airmen (NOTAM) B3808/18, announcing that the Runway 06/24 will be closed until 4:00 p.m., Aug. 17, 2018 due to the disabled aircraft.

The incident has affected at least 34 flights of Philippine Airlines.

“Due to the closure of Manila Airport’s main Runway 06/24, because of a disabled aircraft of a foreign airline blocking the runway, Philippine Airlines was compelled to cancel, delay, and/or divert ... flights today,” the company said in a separate statement.

Airport officials earlier said that Runway 06/24 may be reopened by noon on Friday, but that  a delay may be necessary as foul weather made the ground too soft to extricate the plane.

Xiamen Airlines flight MF8667, a Boeing B737 type aircraft, landed at NAIA’s runway 24 at 11:55 p.m. on August 16 but overshot the runway after landing.

The aircraft is now in a grassy area near the perimeter road in front of the Communications, Navigations, Surveillance-Air Traffic Management antenna.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the tail end of the aircraft was lifted so that baggage from the aircraft compartment may be unloaded.

“Weight reduction would allow easier and faster recovery operations and further ensure that the exposure to risk of the recovery team is mitigated,” MIAA said in a separate advisory.

The airport authority’s Rescue & Firefighting Division, Medical Division, and Airport Safety and Security Office immediately responded when the incident happened.

All 157 passengers and 8 crew were safe and were attended to by airport staff at NAIA’s Terminal 1.

MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal, CAAP Director Capt. Jim Sydiongco, and Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) chief Rainer Baculinao are still on site to assess the situation and supervise the extraction of the aircraft.

Many other flights were affected due to the runway closure. —VDS, GMA News