Saudi Arabian Aircraft Slides Off Manila Runway

A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747-400 flight bound for Riyadh was delayed for several hours after the aircraft veered off the runway, causing its landing gear to get stuck in the mud as it was taxiing for take off on Runway 24 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

Copyright Photo: Angelo Agcamaran/PPSG

Authorities were forced to deplane passengers aboard Saudi Arabian Airlines flight 871 and bus them back to Terminal 1. The incident occurred on Tuesday night after a heavy downpour, affecting at least eleven other flights that were scheduled to depart or arrive at the busiest gateway in the country due to the blocked runway. 

No passengers were reported to be injured during the incident. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines was forced to issue a Notice to Airmen that only smaller aircraft including Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft could arrive and depart due to the blocked runway. The Saudi flight was supposed to depart NAIA at 6:10pm. CAAP expected to have the aircraft removed from the runway by 10:00pm.

Copyright Photo: Travelling_bk/PFN

Meanwhile, another incident was reported regarding a Cebu Pacific aircraft bound for China. According to the Aviation Herald, a Cebu Pacific aircraft registered RP-C3238, was forced to alter course to Shanghai after the discovery of a cracked windshield. Flight 5J-672 from Manila was cruising to Beijing at 11,500 meters approximately 380 nautical miles northwest of Shanghai when the crew decided to descend to 6,900 meters and divert the flight to Shanghai after discovering the crack. The cracked windshield was reported to be on the captain's side of the aircraft. The A320-200 aircraft eventually landed safely in Shanghai approximately one hour later.