Korean Air plane overshoots runway at Mactan-Cebu International Airport; all 173 on board safe


CEBU CITY – Runway operations at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) were suspended Monday, Oct. 24, after a Korean Air plane overshot the runway on Sunday night, Oct. 23.

KOREAN Air Flight KE631 lies on the runway of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Monday morning, Oct. 24. It overshot the runway during a landing attempt late Sunday night, Oct. 23, and all 173 people on board are safe. (Juan Carlo de Vela)

MCIA Assistant General Manager Glen Napuli said the MCIA runway will be closed until midnight Tuesday while efforts to remove the ill-fated Korean Air Flight KE631 continued.

“We are doing all necessary means to take out the plane,” Napuli said in a press briefing Monday morning.

In a statement, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), said Korean Air Flight KE631, which came from Seoul, South Korea, overshot the runway in a landing attempt.

Rains were heavy at the time of the incident, said MCIA.

“No one was hurt during the incident. All 162 passengers and 11 crew onboard the A330 aircraft were immediately evacuated and tended to by airport emergency personnel,” the MCIAA.

“The incident has necessitated the temporary closure of the MCIA runway to allow for the safe removal of the aircraft. For now, all international and domestic flights to and from MCIA are canceled until further notice,” MCIAA added.

The cause of the overshot is still being investigated by the Civil Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Napuli said.

“We don’t want to preempt as to what really happened. We are still awaiting official investigation,” said Napuli.

Napuli said that for the run way to be open, the aircraft must be removed some 30 meters from the runway.

He said all passengers, crew, as well as the cargoes have been removed from the aircraft.

Napuli said the aircraft was also defueled to ensure the safety of personnel who will help remove the aircraft from the runway.

While runway operations at MCIA are suspended, aircraft were advised to divert to other airports.

“For Cebu-bound aircraft, they can use the Dumaguete airport or Bohol airport,“ Napuli said.

Korean Air president Woo Kee-hong has apologized over the incident and vowed a "thorough investigation" by both Philippine and Korean authorities.

"We always prioritize safety in all of our operations, and we truly regret the stress and inconvenience brought to our passengers," Woo said in statement posted on the company website.

Flights were cancelled as the aircraft was being removed by authorities on Monday.

They were:

Cebu Pacific

5J 563/564 Manila-Cebu- Manila

5J 2510 Cebu-Manila

5J 565/566 Manila-Cebu-Manila

5J 571/572 Manila-Cebu-Manila

5J 567/568 Manila-Cebu-Manila

5J 577/578 Manila-Cebu- Manila

AirAsia

Z2 780 Cebu-Manila

Z2 781 Manila-Cebu

Z2 775 Manila-Cebu

Z2 776 Cebu-Manila

Z2 550 Cebu-Caticlan

Z2 551 Caticlan-Cebu

Philippine Airlines

PR1868 Cebu -Manila

PR1841 Manila-Cebu

PR1842 Cebu-Manila

PR1845 Manila-Cebu

PR1846 Cebu-Manila

PR1847 Manila-Cebu

PR1848 Cebu-Manila

PR2995 Cebu-Cagayan de Oro

PR2996 Cagayan de Oro-Cebu

PR2313 Cebu-Cagayan de Oro

PR2314 Cagayan de Oro-Cebu

PR2833 Cebu-Clark

PR2834 Clark-Cebu

PR2287 Cebu-Bacolod

PR2288 Bacolod-Cebu

PR2236 Cebu-Tacloban

PR2237 Tacloban-Cebu

PR2347 Cebu-Puerto Princesa

PR2348 Puerto Princesa-Cebu

PR2345 Cebu-Davao

PR2346 Davao-Cebu

PR2363 Cebu-Davao

PR2372 Davao-Tagbilaran

PR2373 Tagbilaran-Davao

PR2364 Davao-Cebu

PR2361 Cebu-Butuan

PR2362 Butuan-Cebu

PR2384 Cebu-Iloilo

PR2385 Iloilo-Cebu

Sunday, Oct. 23

PR1869 Manila-Cebu

(with a report from AFP and Ariel Fernandez)