After more than 24 hours of closure, the Manila International Airport Authorities (Miaa) announced on Saturday that runway 06/24 is now open for flight operations. This development came after a Xiamen Air jet skidded and went off the runway as it landed at Naia during a heavy downpour on Thursday evening. ADVERTISEMENT The Miaa said that the runway has opened at around 11:28 a.m., more than 30 minutes before the target time of opening. READ: Miaa extends runway closure to noon Several local and international flights were canceled and diverted to other airports following the incident. /jpv READ: Xiamen Air jet stuck at NAIA runway; flights canceled, diverted RELATED VIDEO Read Next<doc-sep>(Updated 8:38 p.m., August 17, 2018) Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) authorities extended the closure of a runway – where a Chinese plane veered off and lost an engine and a wheel after landing hard in a rainstorm – until 5:00 a.m. on Saturday. ADVERTISEMENT This was the third extension made by airport authorities following the Xiamen Air flight MF8667 mishap on Naia’s 06/24 runway on Thursday evening. “We offer no excuses, just a promise to bring Naia flight operations back to normalcy by tomorrow using all our internal resources and if needed, employ outside resources notwithstanding the cost it will entail to MIAA,” said Eddie Monreal, general manager of the airport. Two mobile cranes that can carry the 43-ton paralyzed aircraft are being used in the recovery operations, according to a statement from Naia. “While this is a positive development, mobilization process takes 3 hours and another 3 hours to demobilize,” it read. In a press conference earlier, airport authorities said the rain-soaked grassy area hampered their recovery operations of the plane. The following flights have been canceled as of 8:18 p.m.: NAIA Terminal 1 Etihad Airways flight EY 421 (MNL-ABU DHABI) Saudi Airlines flight SV 871 (MNL-JEDDAH) ADVERTISEMENT Hongkong Airlines flight HX 781 (HONG KONG-MNL) China Airlines flight CI 711 (KHH – MNL) China Airlines flight CI 712 (MNL – KHH) China Airlines flight CI 704 (MNL – TPE) Qatar Airways flight QR 933 (MNL – DOH Eva Air flight BR 271 (TPE-MNL) Eva Air flight BR 272 (MNL-TPE) Asiana Airlines flight OZ 702/701 (MNL-ICN-MNL) Japan Airlines flight JL 742 (MNL-NRT) Malaysia Airlines flight MH 806 (KUL-MNL) Turkish Airlines flight TK 84 (MNL-IST) United Airlines flight UA 182/183 (MNL-GUM-MNL) United Airlines flight UA 192/193 (MNL-ROR-MNL) Japan Airlines flight JL 745 (NRT-MNL) NAIA Terminal 2 Philippine Airlines PR 453/454 MNL-GES-MNL PR 1845/1846 MNL-CEB-MNL PR 432 MNL-NRT PR 408 MNL-KIX PR 438 MNL-NAGOYA PR 300/301 MNL-HKG-MNL PR 422/421 MNL-HND-MNL PR 507/508 MNL-SIN-MNL PR 418/419 MNL-PUS-MNL PR 1466/467 MNL-ICN-MNL PR 730/731 MNL-BKK-MNL TR 306/307 MNL-HKG-MNL 2P 2959 MNL-CBO 2P 2529/2530 MNL-CGY-MNL 2P 2137/2138 MNL-ILOILO-MNL 2P 2198/2199 MNL-LAO-MNL 2P 277/278 MNL-TAGBILARAN-MNL PR 720/721 MNL-LHR-MNL PR 5453/5454 MNL-GES-MNL PR 1863/1864 MNL-CEB-MNL PR 468/469 MNL-ICN-MNL PR 431 NRT-MNL PR 407 KIX-MNL PR 104 MNL-SFO PR 102 MNL-LAX PR 112 MNL-LAX PR 1466 MNL-ICN PR 336 MNL-PUG PR 219 AKL-MNL PR 207 MNL-MEL PR 100 MNL-HNL PR 211 MNL-SYD PR 5301 HKG-MNL PR 5306/5307 MNL-HKG-MNL PR 721 LHR-MNL Tigerair TR 306 MNL-HKG 1435H TR 307 HKG-MNL 2015H NAIA Terminal 3 Cathay Pacific CX 908 MNL-Hong Kong 0600H CX 912 MNL – Hong Kong 0825H CX 906 MNL- Hong Kong 1050H CX 907 Hong Kong – MNL 0940H Cebu Pacific 5J 272 MNL- Hong Kong 0600H 5J 273 Hong Kong – MNL 1200H 5J 5054 MN – Hong Kong 0615H 5J 5055 NARITA – MNL 1720H 5J 929 MNL-BANGKOK 0615H 5J 930 Bangkok – MNL 1445H 5J 110 MNL-Hong Kong 0735H 5J 111 Hong Kong- MNL 1400H 5J 112 MNL-Hong Kong 5J 113 Hong Kong-MNL 5J 014 MNL-Dubai 5J 115 Dubai-MNL 5J 805 MNL-SIN 1330H 5J 806 SIN-MNL 2330H 5J 188 Manila-Incheon 5J 187 Incheon-Manila 5J 487 Manila-Bacolod 5J 488 Bacolod-Manila 5J 457 Manila-Iloilo 5J 458 Iloilo-Manila 5J 639 Manila-Puerto Princesa 5J 640 Puerto Princesa-Manila 5J 319 Manila-Legazpi 5J 320 Legazpi-Manila 5J 506 Manila-Tuguegarao 5J 507 Tuguegarao-Manila NAIA Terminal 4 AirAsia Z2 329/330 MNL-TACLOBAN-MNL Z2 313/314 MNL-ILOILO-MNL Z2 773/774 MNL-CEBU-MNL Z2 621/622 MNL-DAVAO-MNL Z2 420/421 MNL-PPS-MNL SkyJet Airlines M8 713/714 MNL-BUSUANGA-MNL The following flights have also been diverted according to Naia: Philippine Airlines PR 105 SAN FRANCISCO – MNL – DIVERTED TO CEBU PR 103 LOS ANGELES – MNL – DIVERTED TO CLARK PR 117 VANCOUVER – MNL – DIVERTED TO CEBU PR 115 SAN FRANCISCO – MNL – DIVERTED TO CLARK PR 119 TORONTO – MNL – DIVERTED TO CLARK PR 655 RUH – MNL – DIVERTED TO BKK PR 657 AUH – MNL – DIVERTED TO SAIGON PR 683 DMM – MNL – DIVERTED TO BKK Cebu Pacific 5J 187 Seoul Incheon – MNL – DIVERTED TO CLARK 5J 804 SIN – MNL – DIVERTED TO CLARK Meanwhile, the following flights have been reinstated: Cathay Pacific CX 900 MNL – Hong Kong 1235H CX 901 Hong Kong – MNL 1125H Passengers recall terrifying moment Passengers of a plane from the Chinese plane recalled their brush with the terrifying mishap, with some of the 165 people on board expecting the worst. The Boeing 737-800, carrying 157 passengers and eight crew from China’s coastal city of Xiamen, managed to touch down close to midnight amid a downpour after aborting an initial attempt to land due to poor visibility, according to Philippine officials, who expressed relief that a disaster was avoided. The airliner lost contact with the tower as it rolled off the runway into a rain-soaked field, where one of the plane’s engines and wheels got ripped off before everyone onboard scrambled out through an emergency slide, the officials said. A Filipino-American from California, Ruben Lopez Espinas, thought the plane would crash. “I surrendered myself. I said, ‘Lord, I am yours if it’s really my time,'” he said. Chinese passenger Wang Xun Qun embraced her teen daughter during the tense moments before the aircraft landed. When asked to describe their experience, the two repeatedly said, “Scary, scary.” Chen Lei, who was on the plane with friends, said the plane touched down but pulled up steeply in a 90-degree angle a few seconds after it aborted the first landing. “My palm started to sweat,” he said. When it did land, the plane glided for about five seconds then the wing and the engine under it hit the ground, with Chen witnessing the unfolding danger from a window. “The luggage fell down and many equipment inside the plane started to fall. I also smelled heavy smoke,” he said. Then the plane suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Shaken by the experience and drenched by the downpour, the passengers and crew of Xiamen Air Flight 8667 were taken to an airport terminal, where they were given blankets and food before going to a hotel, airport general manager Ed Monreal and other officials said. “With God’s blessing, all passengers and the crew were able to evacuate safely and no injuries except for about four who had some superficial scratches,” Monreal said. The plane failed to land at first apparently due to poor visibility that may have hindered the pilots’ view of the runway, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Jim Sydiongco told reporters. The plane circled before finally landing near midnight but lost contact with the tower, Sydiongco said. Investigators retrieved the plane’s flight recorder and will get the cockpit voice recorder once the aircraft has been lifted to determine the cause of the accident, Sydiongco said. Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila’s main international gateway, will be closed until Saturday morning while emergency crews use a crane to try to lift the aircraft, its belly resting on the muddy ground, away from the main runway, officials said. A smaller runway for domestic flights remained open. TV footage showed the plane slightly tilting to the left, its left badly damaged wing touching the ground and its landing wheels not readily visible as emergency personnel examined the aircraft. One of the detached engines and landing wheels lay a few meters (yards) away. A Xiamen Air representative, Lin Hua Gun, said the airline will send another plane to Manila to resume the flight. The Civil Aviation of China said it was sending a team to assist in the investigation. Nearly 80 international and domestic flights have been canceled or diverted due to the closure of the airport, which lies in a densely populated residential and commercial section of metropolitan Manila. Torrential monsoon rains enhanced by a tropical storm flooded many low-lying areas of Manila and northern provinces last weekend, displacing thousands of residents and forcing officials to shut schools and government offices. The weather has improved with sporadic downpours. – With a report from AP Read Next<doc-sep>
MANILA (Reuters) - Thousands of air travelers faced delays on Friday after a Chinese airliner skidded off the runway at the airport in the Philippine capital, disrupting more than 200 flights as authorities struggled to remove the damaged plane. All 157 passengers and eight crew aboard the Xiamen Air Boeing 737-800 were unharmed after the accident late on Thursday, according to the airline and airport officials. The main runway at Manila’s international airport would remain closed until 5 a.m. on Saturday (2100 GMT on Friday) to allow for more time to remove the plane, authorities said. Some 112 international and domestic flights were canceled and another 118 flights delayed following the accident, based on initial lists from airlines. The disruptions led to chaotic scenes at the Philippines’ biggest airport, as travelers waited in long queues outside the terminals and at check-in desks. Several passengers expressed their dismay on Facebook. “This is very unfortunate for us who booked the hotel and tours,” said Steph Iligan. “It can’t be cancelled/refunded.” Slideshow ( 11 images ) Images of the plane operated by Xiamen Air, a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines, showed it next to an airport perimeter fence with the left wing touching the ground. Efforts to remove the 43-tonne plane proved difficult, prompting the authorities to bring in two cranes to try to lift it. The plane “misapproached” on its first attempt to land and lost contact with the control tower on the second, when it skidded off the runway after touching down, said Ed Monreal, the general manager at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). “We offer no excuses, just a promise to bring NAIA flight operations back to normalcy by tomorrow using all our internal resources and if needed, employ outside resources notwithstanding the cost it will entail,” Monreal said in a statement. An investigation was underway. Airport officials said they were looking at several factors, including bad weather on Thursday night and communications between the pilot and control tower. Monreal said they were not able to access the content of the flight recorder and it would be sent to Singapore for analysis. Xiamen Air said in a short statement that no one had been injured in the incident. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said it had set up an investigation group and sent a team to Manila to coordinate with Philippine authorities. The regulator said it also sent a team to Xiamen Air.