DELAYED FLIGHTS. The list of flights affected by the temporary runway closure on Wednesday morning (Oct. 4,2023) at the Mactan Cebu International Airport. Authorities closed down the runway after a Cessna 208B EX Grand Caravan aircraft of the Philippine Air Force made an emergency landing after its engine caught fire during takeoff. (Photo from MCIAA)
MANILA – The Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced that one of its three Cessna C-208 EX Grand Caravan surveillance aircraft was forced to land at the Mactan Cebu International Airport after its engine caught fire shortly after take-off from an undisclosed location early Wednesday.
The incident took place around 2:15 a.m., PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in a statement.
The engine fire prompted the pilots to make an emergency landing, she added.
"The engine problem resulted in extreme difficulty in maneuvering the aircraft, but in spite of this, the pilots were able to land the aircraft, with all five aircrew onboard well and safe," Castillo said.
The PAF spokesperson said a thorough investigation of the incident is underway.
"The PAF is committed to ensuring the utmost safety of our air operations while continuously supporting the country’s security and development efforts," Castillo said.
Reports from Cebu City said 17 domestic and international flights in Mactan-Cebu International Airport were affected on Wednesday the PAF aircraft made an emergency landing due to engine trouble and got stuck.
An advisory issued by the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), 10 outbound domestic flights, four inbound domestic flights, and three international flights were delayed at 2:15 a.m.
Edilyth Maribojoc, junior manager of corporate affairs of the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. confirmed to the media that the airport management implemented a runway closure after a PAF plane performed an emergency landing. The aircraft was reportedly bound for Samar.
“The runway was closed at 2:14 a.m. when EMPLAN 3 or full emergency was activated so around that time that technically started the delays because the aircraft were no longer allowed to fly at their scheduled time,” Maribojoc said in a mixed Cebuano and English.
The domestic outbound flights from Cebu that were affected by the runway closure were R2836 bound for Manila; DG6510 for Manila; PR2295 for Cagayan de Oro, PR2380 for Iloilo; DG6206 for Legazpi; DG6851 for Siargao; DG6468 for Bacolod; DG6715 for Cagayan; DG6811 for Davao; and Z2760 for Manila.
Three inbound flights – 5J551 from Manila, 5J609 from Clark, and 5J567 from Manila – were also affected by the runway closure while 5J5062 for Narita, OZ710 for Incheon, and MU5024 for Shanghai. (PNA)
