Qantas flight makes emergency stop at NAIA

(Updated 2:10 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines – An Australian passenger airplane flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne made an emergency landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Friday due to a hole near one of the aircraft’s wings. Octavio Lina, assistant general manager for operations at the Manila International Airport Authority, said in an interview on radio dzBB that a Qantas Boeing 747 airplane diverted from its original course and landed at the NAIA at 11:20 a.m. The airplane, which took off in London and stopped over in Hong Kong, was carrying 350 passengers and 19 crewmen when the incident happened. Lina said the craft’s pilots were prompted to land on Philippine soil after discovering in mid-air a “big hole" on the plane’s right belly, just near the aircraft’s right wing. “We were first informed by the plane’s pilot that there was a cabin pressurization. They had to land immediately. The pilot decided to call our Manila control tower to help in the immediate landing on the nearest airport," Lina said. “Malaki iyong butas ng pinaka-belly ng aircraft. Mga 2.5 to 3 meters ang diameter ng butas (The hole on the belly was big. The hole’s diameter was about 2.5 to 3 meters)," Lina added. Tension briefly gripped the plane after passengers reportedly heard an explosion. Then, oxygen masks began dropping as the plane made a seven-minute descent from 30,000 feet above the ground. Luggage inside the plane were reportedly almost thrown out of their compartments during the air incident. Lina said the airplane landed safely and flight operations on the NAIA runway were not disrupted since the Qantas plane was immediately pulled out of the runway 15 minutes after it touched down. The passengers, some of whom complained feeling nauseous, were taken out of the plane and accommodated at the airport’s Gate 4. The management of the Qantas Airways has already made arrangements to billet the passengers in nearby hotels. The radio report said that the plane was repositioned at the NAIA’s Remote Parking 24 and would later be brought to the Lufthansa Hangar near the Villamor Airbase to undergo repair. The Sydney-based Qantas Airways Limited, which derived its name from the acronym of Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services, is Australia’s largest airline. The 87-year old airline company is considered the second oldest continuously operating airline and was voted the fifth best airline in the world by a United Kingdom-based research consultancy firm. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV