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More than 30,000 PAL passengers displaced by Xiamen Air accident
More than 30,000 passengers of Philippine Airlines were affected by the closure of Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s runway 06/24 after a Chinese commercial airplane skidded off the runway late last week.
“Over 30,000 affected passengers: 87 cancellations, and 21 diverted flights affecting 4,000 passengers,” PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told GMA News Online on Tuesday.
Xiamen Air flight MF8667 skidded off the Runway 06/24 around 11 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, supposedly due to the rain.
The incident caused flight cancellations of various other airlines, and many other flights were diverted to Clark International Airport, some 95 kilometers north of Manila, and inconvenienced tens of thousands of airline passengers as NAIA’s international runway was closed for nearly 36 hours.
The Runway 06/24 reopened at noon on Saturday, August 18. The disabled aircraft and some of its parts that littered the runway were removed from the runway around 2:30 a.m. that same day
In a separate statement Tuesday, PAL said the incident has compelled the flag carrier “to divert many flights to Clark, Cebu, Davao and even overseas including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where more than 20 of our airplanes were stranded.”
Villaluna said when the runway reopened on August 18 all the affected flights were able to return to Manila.
“As of this time, it is the airline absorbing the cost of this operational disruption on our flights,” she said.
PAL said in its statement it was grateful for the passengers’ “patience and understanding” during the “last few challenging days, when its flights to and from our Manila hub were severely affected by the closure of NAIA Runway 06/24.”
Overall, it was not only the operations of Runway 06/24 that were disrupted.
“The timely deplaning of passengers became a challenge too at some diversion airports despite our efforts in coordinating with airport authorities as these airports, because of the sudden influx of multiple diverted flights from various airlines,” PAL said.
“Meanwhile, we struggled to operate some flights from the second runway, Runway 13/31, which could accept smaller aircraft. Unfortunately, there were still delays and cancellations as dozens of flights from different airlines switched to that runway, not to mention the strong tailwinds that required closing Runway 13/31 at times.”
The flag carrier said it tried its best to exert all efforts to take care of affected passengers who were compelled to endure uncertainty, long waits, and discomfort.
“We acknowledge, however, that our efforts were not enough at some of the critical times. And for this, we sincerely apologize and we assure you that we will strive to do more and make the necessary improvements for the benefit of all.”
“Now that the runway has re-opened, we continue to work hard to normalize operations which entail bringing home diverted airplanes, mounting replacement flights on key routes, reshuffling of aircraft, crew and other operational resources.”
PAL said it has been in constant coordination with the Manila International Airport Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and other government agencies here and abroad.
“We also want to express our appreciation to all PAL personnel, service providers and other program partners who are giving their all-out dedication during this difficult time.”
The flag carrier also pledged to be a better airline because of what has happened.
“Most of all, to our customers and their families: Thank you for bearing with us. We owe you all our great appreciation, and we promise to do more for you and for our country.” —VDS, GMA News
