LOOK: Korean Air flight #KE631 overshot its runway at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport late night on Sunday, Oct. 23. In a Facebook post, Lapu-Lapu City DRMMO head Nagiel Bañacia said airport operations remain suspended following the incident. | Photo by Nagiel Bañacia /Facebook
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Operations at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) remain suspended as of Monday, Oct. 24, after Korean Air flight KE631 overshoot the runway apparently due to bad weather.
Airport authorities confirmed that an Airbus 330 widebody jet owned and operated by Korean Air overran the runway at 11:11 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23.
Fortunately, no one was hurt. All of the 162 passengers and 11 crew members onboard the aircraft were rescued and are now safe from harm, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) said in a press statement issued on Monday.
As a result, they decided to suspend all operations at the airport. This meant all flights in and out of the country’s second busiest gateway had to be canceled until further notice, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
“The incident has necessitated the temporary closure of the MCIA runway to allow for the safe removal of the aircraft. For now, all international and domestic flights to and from MCIA are canceled until further notice,” said GMCAC, the private consortium co-managing Mactan airport.
GMCAC also confirmed that KE631’s landing attempt occurred during heavy rains.
The state weather bureau issued a thunderstorm advisory at 9:39 p.m. on Sunday, in which moderate to heavy rains with lightning and strong winds due to thunderstorms were experienced in Mandaue City and neighboring areas like Lapu-Lapu City, where the airport is situated.
Korean Air President Keehon Woo also issued an apology to the passengers, crew, and their relatives regarding the incident.
“We always prioritize safety in all of our operations, and we truly regret the stress and inconvenience brought to our passengers,” Woo wrote in a statement.
Woo also promised that a thorough investigation will take place to determine the real cause of the incident.
In the meantime, photos of flight KE631, with its nose visibly damaged and lying on the grassy portions of the runway, quickly circulated on social media.
Netizens were also quick to share the airplane’s history on monitoring app Flightradar24 minutes before overshooting at the runway.
In it, flight KE631 can be seen circling the airspace near Mactan airport twice, apparently in an attempt to land safely.
Korean Air flight KE631 departed Seoul’s Incheon Airport at 7:20 p.m. on Sunday and was scheduled to land at MCIA around 10 p.m.
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