Runway Excursion Closes Manila Runway

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737 overran the runway at Manila Airport during a second landing attempt in heavy rain, with no serious injuries reported among the 165 people on board.
  • The disabled aircraft blocked a main runway for almost two days, leading to 165 flight cancellations and significant travel disruptions for tens of thousands of passengers.
  • Airport operations at Manila have returned to normal after crews successfully removed the Boeing 737 from the muddy infield, despite initial difficulties due to soft ground.
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Operations at Manila Airport in the Philippines have returned to normal almost two days after a Chinese airliner left the runway on landing late Thursday. The Xaimen Airlines Boeing 737 ended up in a muddy infield after a second landing attempt in heavy rain. None of the 165 people on board were seriously hurt in the incident and subsequent evacuation but the travel plans of tens of thousands of people going through the country’s busiest airport were disrupted.

The location of the disabled aircraft blocked a main runway and resulted in 165 cancellations on Friday and Saturday. It will be later this week before everyone affected has gotten where they were going. Authorities said the ground was too soft to support the cranes needed to lift the aircraft out of the mire but they managed to get it done about noon on Saturday local time.

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