AirAsia passengers complain of hours-long ordeal after flight diverted to Clark

Passengers of a diverted AirAsia Philippines flight due to bad weather on Monday, August 17, complained of being kept onboard for hours without air conditioning, with some reportedly experiencing difficulty breathing and losing consciousness.

In a “24 Oras” report by Bam Alegre on Tuesday, the flight from Da Nang, Vietnam, was scheduled to arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 at noon on Monday. However, bad weather forced the aircraft to divert to Clark International Airport.

One passenger, Jay Aquino, said the situation could have been handled better, particularly in terms of communication.

“Sana mas nahandle nang maayos and I think ang very disappointing part doon is hindi sila transparent,” he said.

(I wish it could have been handled better. I think the most disappointing part was that they weren't transparent.)

“If sinabi naman nila yung mga kailangang gawin at 'yung decisions nila real-time, at hindi pabago-bago kaya naman ng pasahero. Pero 'yung four hours kami sa loob, may mahihimatay pa bago sila mag-decide?” he added.

(If they had simply explained what needed to be done and communicated their decisions in real time—instead of constantly changing them—passengers could have coped. But keeping us inside for four hours to the point where people were fainting before taking action?)

Video footage showed tense scenes inside the aircraft, with medical personnel attending to two passengers who reportedly lost consciousness.

The flight's departure from Clark was delayed after it was denied clearance due to heavy air traffic congestion.

According to another passenger Lei Aquino, the aircraft's air conditioning was eventually turned off while the doors remained closed as they waited for clearance.

“May point na kinlose na nila yung AC and then closed din yung doors. So imagine walang air circulating inside. So sunod-sunod na yung mga pasahero na nasu-suffocate, so nagco-collapse, and nagpa-panic,” she said.

(There was a point when they shut off the AC and closed the doors. Imagine having no proper air circulation inside. Shortly after, passengers began suffocating, collapsing, and panicking.)

Cellphone videos taken by passengers showed some individuals attempting to leave the aircraft, while others were seen standing on the jet bridge.

Airport police officers were also stationed in the area.

In an official statement released at around 10 p.m. on Monday, AirAsia Philippines said the safety of its guests and crew remained its top priority.

The airline said its staff provided immediate assistance to passengers and coordinated with personnel at the boarding gate area.

AirAsia also apologized for the inconvenience and said safety protocols had to be observed amid severe weather. The airline said snacks were distributed to passengers while hot meals were being prepared.

Jay Aquino, however, disputed the airline's account, saying passengers had to pay for water and snacks.

“Ibinenta pa 'yung water at tsaka snack sa amin nung na-stuck—nung bago nila patayin 'yung AC. So na-realize na lang nila kailangan namin ng food and snack nung wala nang AC and may nahihilo na,” he said.

(They actually sold us water and snacks while we were stuck—before they shut off the AC. They only realized we needed food and refreshments after the AC was turned off and people started getting dizzy.)

“So their news about they gave us snacks? 'Di po totoo 'yon. Binentahan po nila kami,” he added.

(So their statement claiming they gave us snacks? That isn't true—they charged us for them.)

Jay Aquino said the situation only calmed down after passengers were eventually allowed to disembark and proceed to the immigration area later that evening, where immigration officials explained the situation.

Point-to-point (P2P) buses were deployed to transport passengers from Clark International Airport to NAIA, with passengers shouldering the cost.

According to Alegre's report, the P2P buses arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 after 1 a.m. Tuesday, leaving passengers exhausted after the prolonged ordeal, particularly those traveling with young children.

Jay Aquino said the passengers intend to file a formal complaint with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) over the incident.

“We are going to file a complaint sa CAB and magko-coordinate kami kung ano yung tamang proseso kasi pag sa social media lang, I don't think it's gonna reach somewhere,” he said.

(We are going to file a complaint with the CAB and coordinate on the proper process. Reporting it on social media won't lead anywhere.)

“The fact na nag-post sila ng public statement without sorting out first kung ano nangyari sa loob, that’s very unacceptable,” he added.

(The fact that they published a public statement without first resolving what happened onboard is very unacceptable.) —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/VBL, GMA News