PAL plane skids off Mactan-Cebu Airport runway, all onboard safe

A Philippine Airlines (PAL) aircraft skidded off a runway just moments after it landed in Cebu, amid a rainy weather on Friday.

“We confirm that our Philippine Airlines flight PR2369 experienced a runway excursion upon arrival at Mactan-Cebu International Airport in rainy weather at 11:39 a.m. today, after a flight from Caticlan,” PAL said in a statement.

The flag carrier said all 29 passengers and four crew members -- two pilots and two cabin crewmembers -- are safe and were able to disembark from the airplane using the aircraft’s airstairs.

“Our operations teams are assisting the passengers and will provide assistance and support as needed,” PAL said.

“No one was injured in the incident. The flight involved a De Havilland Dash 8 turboprop operated by PAL Express with registry number RP-C5911,” it added.

The airline said the aircraft’s wheels veered off into the grass at the side edge of the runway.

“We thank airport authorities and the CAAP for spearheading the towing of the aircraft back into the runway surface,” PAL said.

“We affirm that safety is our top priority and that Philippine Airlines is fully cooperating with the concerned airport and aviation authorities. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the partial blockage of the runway,” it said.

Airport closed, flights affected

In a separate statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the Mactan-Cebu International Airport had been closed due to the runway incident.

Post-incident protocols were immediately initiated and the MCIAA runway was re-opened at 2:38 p.m., CAAP said.

The aviation authority said 34 flights were affected by the incident, with two flights being re-routed to nearby Iloilo International Airport.

CAAP said that its Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) team was deployed on-site to assess the situation and supervise the extraction of the aircraft.

"Coordination among the concerned authorities is ongoing. We have dispatched our accident investigators to the scene as well and we expect to get more information on the situation," said Capt. Jim Sydiongco, CAAP director-general.

The aviation authority noted it is also working closely with PAL for the investigation and resolution of the incident. —LBG, GMA News