Xiamen to join probe on NAIA runway incident —MIAA

China's Xiamen Airlines will be helping local aviation authorities in investigating the runway incident at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport that involved one of the airline's planes overshooting and skidding off the runway.

In an interview on Balitanghali, Manila International Airport Authority media affairs division chief Connie Bungag quoted Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) director general Jim Sydiongco as saying representatives from the Chinese passenger airline are expected to arrive in the country on Saturday.

"They [CAAP officials] are expecting their counterpart from Xiamen to arrive today for a joint investigation of the incident," Bungag said.

The MIAA official said they cannot tell how long the joint investigation would take. "I cannot say. That's beyond the jurisdiction of the MIAA authority," she said.

She, however, estimated that the probe would "probably take some time."

"According to yesterday's press conference, we were made to understand by DG [Sydiongco] that the flight data radar will be brought pa to Singapore... Only the CAAP can answer [how long the investigation would take]," Bungag said.

The Xiamen plane skidded off the NAIA runway just before Thursday noon, prompting a closure of the runway and triggering flight delays and cancellations.

It took airport personnel until 2:30 a.m. of Saturday to move the damaged plane out of the runway. Just before Saturday noon, the runwat was reopened and began accomodating regular incoming and outgoing flights.

Affected flights, meanwhile, will have their chance for take of or landing starting Saturday midnight. — MDM, GMA News