CAAP issues show cause vs PAL over flight diversion

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) have issued a show-cause order to Philippine Airlines (PAL) after flight PR102 was diverted to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport due to smoke detected in the aircraft’s air conditioning unit.

Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Vince Dizon confirmed the incident during a media briefing on Thursday, reassuring that all 355 passengers were safe

“All passengers of PAL Flight PR102 are safe,” Dizon said. Authorities were notified around 5 a.m. when smoke was observed in the cabin, prompting the diversion.

“The passengers were inside the aircraft for more than three, maybe even four hours. I know it’s been very difficult for them, but they have deplaned already,” he added.

Meantime, PAL has not disclosed as of yet what support or assistance will be provided to affected passengers but Dizon said PAL would issue shore passes to those without Japanese visas to allow them “to relax.”

“We have been informed by PAL that they are currently arranging flights for the passengers. However, I do not believe the plane has been cleared to continue its journey to Los Angeles,” Dizon said.

“We don’t know what kind of smoke it was, so it was important to release it,” he added.

Dizon also disclosed that he had contacted the Japanese ambassador to request assistance, acknowledging the possibility of overwhelmed ground operations at Haneda.

In a separate statement, PAL assured that all passengers were safe after the emergency landing.