MACTAN, Cebu – A Cebu Pacific plane carrying 435 passengers bound for Manila overshot the runway at the Mactan Cebu International Airport here before takeoff Friday.
The incident which occurred at about 6:35 p.m. did not harm any of the passengers but caused the temporary closure of the runway, forcing other Cebu Pacific and Cebgo flights to be diverted.
The runway was reopened at 10:45 p.m., according to Mactan airport authorities.
In a statement, the airline said Cebu Pacific Flight 5J-570 figured in a minor incident as it was taxiing prior to takeoff.
“The aircraft’s nose wheel or front landing gear went outside of the runway. Passengers were immediately deplaned so that the aircraft can be towed,” the airline said.
Cebu Pacific deployed a replacement aircraft from Manila to carry Flight 5J570 passengers. Airport sources said Cebu Pacific flight 5J556 left for Manila at 4 a.m. carrying the affected passengers and arrived a few hours later.
As a result of the temporary runway closure, several Cebu Pacific and Cebgo flights were diverted: DG 6377 Roxas-Cebu, DG 6928 Butuan-Cebu, DG 6205 Legazpi-Cebu, 5J 607 Clark-Cebu to Bacolod-Silay Airport, DG 6658 Zamboanga-Cebu, 5J 434 Zamboanga-Cebu to Iloilo International Airport, and 5J571 Manila-Cebu which was returned to Manila.
The incident occurred barely a week before the runway is set to be closed for repairs. The Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority said the runway will be closed for six hours on August 11 in preparation for repairs.
In a notice posted on its Facebook page, MCIAA said the runway closure, which will start from 2:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., is for the preliminary works in order to commence the second half of its repairs.
It added that the runway repairs are precautionary in nature and are designed to ensure that the best possible level of safety is afforded to the passengers and stakeholders of the airport. (Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.)
