MANILA – (UPDATE 11:45PM) Cebu Pacific (CEB) has dispatched additional flights over the weekend to accommodate passengers on canceled flights to and from Iloilo, where the international airport was shut down Friday after a CEB plane veered off the runway.
As of Saturday afternoon, civil aviation authorities said they were extending to Sunday (Oct. 15) night the timeline for reopening the airport, instead of 6pm Saturday.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) extended the Friday Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) closing Iloilo International Airport until 7 p.m. Sunday, October 15,2017.
The airport was closed Friday evening after an Airbus A320 aircraft of Cebu Pacific swerved to the left of Runway 20 leading to what’s called in the aviation industry as a “runway excursion”.
CAAP investigators from the Aircraft Accident Investigation & Inquiry Board (AIIB) together with an aircraft recovery team arrived Saturday morning via Roxas airport to conduct investigation and assess the situation.
Runway clearing operations are in progress, according to CAAP, and additional aircraft lifting equipment have been flown by a Philippine Air Force C-130 airlift plane from Manila via Roxas Airport.
CEB mounts 7 flights for affected passengers
CEB has, so far, launched seven flights since Saturday morning to expedite the travel of Iloilo passengers on disrupted flights.
The flights are operating to and from Roxas City, with free land transfers to and from Iloilo provided by CEB. Below are the flight details for Sunday, as provided by CEB:
Guests on canceled Iloilo flights have also been given the option to:
- Rebook their flights for travel within 30 days from original departure date;
- Reroute to alternate stations— Roxas, Bacolod or Kalibo for domestic flights; Cebu or Manila for the flights to and from Singapore; or
- Opt for full refund or travel fund.
They also receive a free round-trip travel voucher.
Affected passengers are advised to contact the Cebu Pacific hotline at (+632)702-0886, or message the official Cebu Pacific pages on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cebupacificair), or Twitter (@CebuPacificAir) to make changes to their flight schedules or avail of options above.