NAIA situation back to normal after Xiamen Air mishap —MIAA's Monreal

Aside from one or two recovery flights, the situation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is normal on Wednesday, days after an incident on one of its runways resulted in the cancellation of dozens of flights.

This was according to Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal, who said the passenger lines at the NAIA on Wednesday noon were just normal lines during peak hours.

"Normally pag tanghali o hapon may mga peak hours ho tayo. Kasama na ho 'yan ng normal na operasyon ng ating paliparan," Monreal said in an interview on News To Go.

He said as of Wednesday, all flights at the NAIA were "on schedule."

The massive cancellation of flights occurred after Xiamen Air flight MF8667 skidded off Runway 06/24 around 11 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, supposedly due to the rain.

The incident inconvenienced tens of thousands of airline passengers as NAIA's international runway was closed for nearly 36 hours.

Asked if there are still stranded passengers who are still waiting for their flights, Monreal said he is not in the position to give a categorical answer.

"Hindi ko masasabi categorically na wala na. The airline will be the one to say na lahat ng pasahero ay nabigyan na ng takdang flights o takdang schedule," he said.

He said as a result of the incident, MIAA officials may discuss passenger handling during such situation if ever they meet with airline representatives.

"Definitely yung pagha-handle ng pasahero yan po ang tutugunan natin pag nagkaroon tayo ng pagkakataon na makipag-meet sa airlines," Monreal said. —KBK, GMA News