DUMAGUETE CITY – The Dumaguete-Sibulan airport in Negros Oriental remained close to all flights in and out of the province as of late Tuesday afternoon as a Philippine Airlines (PAL) Airbus 320 aircraft, which blew a tire as it landed earlier in the day, could not yet be towed from the runway.
Mark Diamaoden of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) here, said the PAL mechanic has not yet arrived.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the runway shutdown remains in effect as efforts to move the plane from the runway are being exerted, he said.
Philippine Airlines Flight 2451 bound for Dumaguete from Manila had experienced problems with its tires and apparently, its left tire exploded as it landed on the runway in Dumaguete early Tuesday morning, Diamaoden, who is also the airport manager, said.
“Around 6:31 a.m. naglanding na sya, ug paglanding niya naa silay na encounter nga murag problem with the tire (as it landed, the plane apparently encountered a problem with the tire),” he noted.
“And so it stopped (at the) runway. Immediately, our firefighters went there, checked what happened and so far wala man (nothing much), so they asked the passengers to disembark so that we can check the status of the aircraft,” he added.
The police were also there to provide assistance, according to Diamaoden.
All of the aircraft’s 113 passengers plus two infants and six crew were all safely brought to the passenger terminal.
“There was no spark, just a blown tire, and we will know later more of the aircraft’s condition when we have conducted a full investigation,” the airport manager assured.
He said a team from PAL was expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon to inspect and undertake the necessary repairs, such as the changing of the blown up tire.
Around 11 to 13 flights to and from the Dumaguete airport have been cancelled for the day.
Diamaoden said there is no assurance on the resumption of flights for Tuesday, especially the evening flights, until the distressed plane has been removed from the runway.
There is also no available towing vehicle or similar equipment here that could remove the aircraft from its current position, he pointed out.
This is the first incident of its kind to happen in Dumaguete, according to Diamaoden.
He expressed relief and gratitude though that everyone on board the PAL Airbus 320 was safe.
“There was no distress call at the time it happened. Pilots are trained well to maneuver the Dumaguete runway and na timing lang gud nahitabo to (and it just happened unexpectedly), just like when you’re on the road and a tire blows up,” Diamaoden said.
The runway of the Dumaguete-Sibulan airport is touted as a challenge for pilots to maneuver because of its length. (PNA)
