Airline passengers were inconvenienced after the Manila International Airport Authority announced the emergency closure of the runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Monday afternoon to allow the repair of a damaged and soft portion of Runway 24.
The MIAA made the announcement after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) issued a notice to airmen declaring the closure of the Naia runway from 4:30 pm to 11 pm on Monday.
“Flights within this period will either be re-timed, diverted or canceled. The estimated time of departure (ETD) of certain flights from the outlying stations have been revised to ensure arrival in Manila takes place from 6:30 am onwards,” the MIAA stated in its advisory.
Some international flights of the Philippine Airlines and domestic flights of Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) were affected by the sudden closure of the runway.
The following PAL flights were given new departure and arrival schedules, as follows: PR 119 from Vancouver to Manila, new ETD: 3:20 am local time, July 18, new ETA (estimated time of arrival): 6:45 am MNL time, July 19; PR 103 from Los Angeles to Manila, new ETD: 2 am local time, July 17, new ETA: 6:30 am, Manila (MNL) time, July 19; PR 105 from San Francisco to Manila, new ETD: 2:30 am local time, July 17, new ETA: 7:35 am MNL time, July 19; PR 657 from Riyadh to Manila, new ETD: 5:20 pm local time, July 18, new ETA: 6:40 am MNL time, July 19.
PAL officials said several domestic and international flights have already been diverted to Clark International Airport earlier Monday due to the ongoing pavement repair work on Runway 24.
Passengers are advised to call the PAL Hotline (02) 855-8888 to get the latest update on their flight schedules.
Cebu Pacific also advised passengers to expect cancellations and delayed flights on Monday (July 18) and Tuesday (July 19).
In its advisory, the CEB stated that passengers of Cebu Pacific and Cebgo flights traveling from 4 pm of July 18 to 11:59 pm of July 19, 2016 may avail any of the following options without penalties: rebook their flights for travel within 30 days from original departure date; full refund or travel fund.
Due to the temporary runway closure, the following CEB flights have been canceled on July 18: 5J 973/974 Manila-Davao-Manila; 5J 014/015 Manila-Dubai-Manila; 5J 022/023 Manila-Doha-Manila; and on July 19: 5J 039/040 Manila-Sydney-Manila.
“We sincerely hope for our passengers’ understanding, as this situation is due to factors beyond our control. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our priority. We will provide updates as soon as available,” the CEB said.