MANILA—Philippine Airlines said that all of its 42 ticketing offices nationwide will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The offices will accommodate passengers affected by flight cancellations due to the closure of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's main runway for more than 24 hours after a Chinese airline went off the runway before midnight Thursday. It reopened at 11:28 a.m. Saturday, authorities said. —Report from Angel Movido, ABS-CBN News<doc-sep>MANILA -- A number of domestic flights were cancelled on Monday, but not all of these were due to the Aug. 16- 18 closure of Runway 06/24, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said in a press conference Monday afternoon. 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 still 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. However, Monreal said the runway closure was not the sole reason for the continuous flight cancellations. "There were 61 airlines that did not advise us about their arrival and departure, and did not ask for slots from MIAA," he said. He said these 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 remarked. That means those airlines only sought permit to enter the Philippines, aviation authorities explained. He 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. (PNA)<doc-sep>THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said the disruption to air travel caused by the airport closure caused by the botched landing of a XiamenAir jet last week highlights the need to develop alternative gateways and upgrade systems at existing airports. The department said in a statement on Tuesday that it is “aggressively pushing for the implementation of the DoTr aviation roadmap,” which calls for the improvement of current airports, the construction of new primary gateways such as Bulacan or Sangley, the development of provincial airports and upgrades to air traffic control and management systems. The jet’s hard landing and off-runway excursion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) also brings up the need to review airline service arrangements with their passengers and coordination with the authorities in the event of emergencies, it said. “[T]he Xiamen incident is an eye opener — a reminder for us to revisit the Air Passengers Bill of Rights (APBR), review the intervention protocols between the airlines and the airport authorities, recast our equipment inventory, enhance the training modules we do at the airport in cases of emergencies,” it added. Late Thursday night, the Xiamen Airlines aircraft skidded off the tarmac on landing and shut down NAIA runway 06/24 until midday Saturday. Thousands of passengers were stranded at the airport due to multiple flight delays and cancellations after difficulties in extracting the aircraft. In an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed V. Monreal said the initial estimate of expenses directly incurred during the operation to hoist the XiamenAir aircraft were about P15 million. “Right now, we have calculated cost of damages to be in the range of P15 million. It only covers the rental for the crane, manpower and use of our equipment. We still have a lot of things to consider,” he said. The general manager said in a briefing on Monday XiamenAir will be asked to reimburse the cost. The government is currently reviewing a 15-year unsolicited proposal from a consortium of seven conglomerates to expand NAIA’s capacity. The proposal is now with the National Economic and Development Authority’s Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) for evaluation. The consortium is composed of Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.; AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp.; Alliance Global Group, Inc.; Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp.; Filinvest Development Corp.; JG Summit Holdings, Inc. and Metro Pacific Investments Corp. The Clark International Airport is also being upgraded by concession holders Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. San Miguel Corp. (SMC) has also submitted a P735-billion unsolicited proposal to build Bulacan International Airport, which is still under review by the NEDA-ICC. The Cavite government is meanwhile proposing a P552.018-billion Sangley International Airport, which has so far earned a no-objection clearance from the DoTr. Aside from the four airports being considered as primary gateways, the government is also reviewing unsolicited proposals from Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp. (CLC), Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. and Mega7 Construction Corp. for regional airports in Davao, Bohol and Kalibo, respectively. Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio L. Tamayo told reporters last month the DoTr is looking to issue its decision on whether to grant original proponent status for the regional airports by third quarter of the year. — Denise A. Valdez<doc-sep>
WATCH: OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac gives updates on the measures the agency has undertaken to help OFWs affected by flight delays and cancellations in NAIA. #ANCRecap pic.twitter.com/2bJzzsJAYl — ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) August 19, 2018 MANILA - Overseas Filipino workers affected by the closure of the main runway of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are advised to inform officials at the labor assistance desks of their concerns. Speaking to ANC, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said they have been prioritizing assistance for those whose visas are expiring soon. "We are already coordinating with PAL (Philippine Airlines). We have given priority to those whose visas are about to expire. We've come up with a list which we handed over to PAL," he said. According to Cacdac, it is important for OFWs to check the status of their flights first, and in case their flights are cancelled or delayed, they should go to the labor assistance desks, which will provide the necessary assistance. "We are all hands on deck here, per instructions also of our Secretary and we're providing the necessary assistance," he said. He also said some OFWs have already left the country, and they are hoping the number of affected workers will decrease. "We are hoping that the numbers will recede, if not, stay at around 120 to 140, whom we're assisting at the moment," Cacdac said. Affected OFWs can also call the OWWA at 551-1560. Scores of overseas Filipino workers on Sunday feared losing their jobs or facing jail time for failing to return to their employers on time as dozens of flights in the country's main airport remained grounded after the closure of its main runway. A Chinese airplane overshot the runway and ripped off its left engine late Thursday, blocking off the runway at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport until Saturday noon. At least 51 flights remained cancelled the day after due to "excessive delays," officials said.