MANILA: A Cebu Pacific aircraft got stuck on the grassy portion of the taxiway at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Friday (July 12) morning.
In a message sent to Inquirer, the airline said that A-321 aircraft did not veer off or swerve and only got stuck during a repositioning activity at Naia Terminal 3 taxiway, contrary to earlier reports.
“It didn’t veer off or swerve. It wasn’t landing or taking off.
"The aircraft was not operating a flight, was not landing or taking off.
"During repositioning or parking procedure, it got stuck on the ground.
"That’s why it has no flight number, no passengers, no flight crew,” Cebu Pacific explained.
Meanwhile in its official advisory, the airline said that its team is already removing the disabled aircraft from the taxiway, resulting in delay in some flights.
“This situation is causing ramp congestion and subsequent delays in our operations. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue promptly,” Cebu Pacific said.
The Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) earlier reported that the airplane “slightly swerved” from the taxiway while repositioning from Bay 111 to Bay 122A of Terminal 3.
“Due to the incident, Bays 110-112 are temporarily unavailable, leaving three parking bays for wide-body aircraft,” Miaa said.
“Miaa seeks the understanding of all passengers whose flights may be affected by expected delays in flight schedules.
"They are advised to wait for airline announcements regarding revised timings,” Miaa added. - The Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
