Despite a damaged Korean Air plane stuck in the grass near the runway after a nearly tragic accident over the weekend, Philippine airport authorities have decided to resume domestic and international flight services to help reduce the large number of canceled commercial flights. It has been decided to partially reopen the airport. Flights and stranded passengers due to the Korean air crash on Sunday night. The airport on Mactan Island in the country’s second busiest Cebu province is reopening from sunrise to sunset. The Airbus A330, carrying 173 people from Incheon, South Korea, attempted to land twice before overrunning the runway on its third attempt during the rainy season, Korean Air Lines said in a statement.
Korean Air and Philippine officials said 162 passengers and 11 crew members escaped from the emergency slide without serious injuries. But more than 100 international and domestic flights have been canceled since the crash due to the stuck plane, which officials hope will be taken away from a grassy area at the end of the runway later on Tuesday.
Philippine civil aviation officials said the unaffected portion of Mactan Airport’s only usable runway could be reopened for flights during the day when visibility is good after clearing debris from Sunday’s crash.
The front part of the plane was cut off and its nose was badly damaged. The aircraft was tilted forward in a grassy area with the front landing wheel not visible and emergency slides deployed on the doors. A cracked, gash-like hole was also visible at the top of the plane, above the front door. Philippine officials said on Monday that the plane’s remaining fuel would be removed before efforts to remove the plane at the end of the runway could begin.
The gruesome close call prompted a public apology from the president of Korean Air and pledges, one of Asia’s most prominent airlines, to take steps to prevent a recurrence. “We always prioritize safety in all our operations, and we are truly sorry for the tension and inconvenience this has brought to our passengers,” Korean Air Force Chairman Wu Keehong said in a statement.
A Philippine investigation was underway to determine the cause of the accident, including why the pilot was allowed and why the landing was allowed despite the rainy weather. A Philippine aviation official said the other planes were able to land safely in the same weather, shortly before the Korean plane landed.
(with inputs from PTI)