Departures and arrivals at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) have resumed a day after a Korean Air plane overshot during a landing attempt that caused the temporary closure of the airport’s runway.

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at least 17 flights have departed.

Although flights in and out of the airport have resumed, Korean Air flight KE631 remained stuck at runway 4, said Glenn Napuli, assistant general manager of MCIA.

The airport’s runway was opened for departure and arrival by shortening the runway from 3.3 kilometers (km) to 2.7 kms., said Napuli.

The runway was opened at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

The first arrival following the opening happened at 5:44 a.m. by Cebu Pacific flight 5J 565 from Manila. The first departure took place at 6 a.m. by Cebu Pacific flight 5J 126 with a Cebu to Bacolod route.

For the next 14 days starting Tuesday, Napuli said the runway is only open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. while efforts to remove the ill-fated aircraft continued.

Napuli said ‘there is still so much work to be done’ although the runway was opened already.

Opening the runway for a limited time is to give way for the removal of the aircraft from the runway and repairing of approach lights and localizer at Runway 4, Napuli said.

Due to damaged approach lights, Napuli said the airport cannot accommodate evening flights.

The Korean Aircraft overshot past 11 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23. It was carrying 162 passengers and 11 crew. No one was hurt during the incident.

The incident affected one departure and three arrivals that day. The following day, Oct. 24, 83 departures and 84 arrivals were affected by the closure of the runway.

The cause of the overshooting is still being investigated.

Lawyer Jinky Zaragosa-Ang, spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, said it was possible that the bad weather during the landing attempt caused the overshoot.

“Heavy rains, bad weather could be the factors why it happened. All other considerations we cannot say yet,”Zaragosa-Ang said.

The cost of damage has yet to be determined, said Napuli.

Napuli said cranes have already been deployed in the area to remove the aircraft.

Napuli said they are hoping for fine weather in the coming days to hasten the removal of the aircraft from the runway.

“We are really having a hard time every time it rains,” Napuli said.

At least 40 Korean Air engineers have also arrived to help in the investigation.

Napuli assured that the incident will not affect the relationship between the Cebuanos and the Koreans.

“It will not affect our relationship with the Korean community. We watch ‘Koreanoveals’ and we love eating ‘samgyupsal,’ said Napuli.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Calvin Cordova

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