LIVE| MIAA GM Ed Monreal Press-conference. RE: Airport Updates

Posted by Ninoy Aquino International Airport MIAA on Saturday, 18 August 2018

A number of domestic flights were cancelled on Monday, but not all of these were due to the closure of Runway 06/24 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on 16 to 18 August, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said in a press conference on 20 August.

“There were 61 airlines that did not advise us about their arrival and departure, and did not ask for slots from MIAA,” Monreal said.

The MIAA general manager said the 61 airlines sought permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) but did not coordinate with MIAA.

Data showed to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) revealed 61 long-haul flights either arrived or departed at the NAIA from August 18 to 19. Four of the 61 flights were Xiamen Air flights.

“The airlines complied with the CAAP and the CAB (Civil Aeronatics Board). But they seem to have forgotten that MIAA handles the terminal capacity,” Monreal said.

That means those airlines only sought permit to enter the Philippines, aviation authorities explained.

Monreal said that even though the airlines were at fault, the MIAA could not let their passengers suffer.

Manila Control Tower head Marlene Singson explained that CAAP could not refuse entry of those airlines because the safety of passengers and crew were at stake.

“Those flights were long-haul flights, which means they travelled far. It would not be safe if we would just let them on air,” Singson said.

She added that the fuel level in those long-haul flights might really be low by the time they reached the country. Thus, not letting them land would be dangerous, Singson said.

Amid heavy rains, Xiamen Air flight MF8667 skidded off at NAIA’s runway 06/24 at around 11:55 p.m. Thursday, causing the closure of the airport’s international runway.

Due to limited runway operations, local carriers had to cancel a number of their domestic flights. Aviation authorities explained that as of Monday, airlines are still adjusting flight schedules.

The flight delays, cancellations, and diversions since Thursday brought a domino effect to subsequent flights, as these flights need to get terminal slots, they said.

The initial report on the Xiamen Air accident from the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) of CAAP was revealed by CAAP Deputy Director General for Operations Capt. Don Mendoza during the MIAA-CAAP-CAB joint press conference on Monday.

“On August 16, 2018, about 11:55PM, a Boeing 737-800 type of aircraft with Registry No. B-5498 operated by Xiamen Airways had a runway excursion during landing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, Philippines. The aircraft departed from Xiamen, China,” said Mendoza.

Based on the report, the on-site investigation revealed that the aircraft’s left main gears initially landed on the left runway taxi edge line, 770 meters from the Runway 24 threshold, before it went out of the concrete portion of the runway.

The pilot in command (PIC) was on his second approach for landing at Runway 24 and upon landing, the left main landing gear landed on the left runway edge line before it went out of the concrete pavement of the runway, the report said.

“As it continued to move forward, the aircraft hit several runway lights and the tire was separated from the nose landing gear followed by the left main landing gear and left engine. The aircraft settled in an upright position when it stopped,” said Mendoza.

The PIC is a Korean male, who is 50 years old and has a grand total time of 16,000 flying hours with 7,000 hours on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft type. The First Officer or the co-pilot is a Chinese male, 28 years old, with a grand total time of 950 flying hours and 750 hours on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft type.

The pilots sustained no injuries; however, both were required to undergo post flight accident medical examination by the CAAP.

“The result of the drug tests (on the pilots) were negative. We still await the result of the alcohol tests because it would take a long process, but we expect to have the results today. As we speak, there is an ongoing investigation and interview with the pilots and the cabin crew,” said Mendoza.

The government is investigating the incident to determine if there is any liability on the part of the Xiamen pilot, who was not allowed to leave the country pending the probe, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a Palace press briefing Monday.

Roque acknowledged the apology from Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade to airline passengers who were inconvenienced by the delayed flights.

“Siguro naman po (Hopefully) that counts for something, that no less than the Secretary of Transportation has publicly apologized for the inconvenience caused to the public,” Roque said.

“Hindi naman po nangyayari itong madalas sa NAIA… (This does not always happen in NAIA)So we could always learn from this experience,” he added, noting that better contingencies should be put in place by airport authorities in the future.

Meanwhile, he assured the public that improvements in the country’s airports are well underway.

“Ang mabuting balita po sa mga kababayan natin, magkakaroon na po tayo ng solusyon (The good news to our countrymen is we will have a solution),” the spokesman said citing the government’s short-, medium-, and long-term plans to upgrade airport services for Philippine passengers.

For one, he said the Department of Transportation (DoTr) has already endorsed the upgrading of NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3 which will include the construction of additional runways and terminal buildings.

Furthermore, Roque said improvements in the Clark International Airport are also in full blast while approvals have been made for the proposed Bulacan airport project, apart from the finalization of some documents.

Xiamen Airlines on Monday issued a statement apologizing to the public for the disruption at the airport caused by its pilots and thanked the MIAA for assisting in the safe transfer of its passengers and removal of its disabled plane on the runway.

“At present, we are fully cooperating with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and the Civil Aviation Administration of China to investigate the cause of the incident. At the same time, all flights from Xiamen Airlines to the Philippines will be carried out normally to provide air transportation services for passengers,” said Che Shanglun, chairman of the Xiamen Airlines.