Manila, Philippines – A Cebu Pacific plane swerved off the Ninoy Aquino International Airport  (NAIA) taxiway while repositioning and got stuck on a grassy patch. The airline may experience flight delays due to ramp congestion.

The incident happened early on Friday, July 12, 2024. According to earlier reports, the A321 aircraft was repositioning from Bay 111 to Bay 122A of NAIA Terminal 3 when it swerved off the pathway. In a message to the Inquirer, the airline confirmed that the aircraft didn’t swerve or veer off; it only got stuck during repositioning.

“It didn’t veer off or swerve. It wasn’t landing or taking off. The aircraft was not operating a flight and was not landing or taking off. During the 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 said in explanation.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) confirmed that no passengers or crew were onboard the Cebu Pacific plane, so no injuries were reported.

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“The MIAA seeks the understanding of all passengers whose flights may be affected due to expected delays in flight schedules. They are advised to wait for airline announcements regarding revised timings,” the MIAA said in a statement released Friday morning.

One tire of the Cebu Pacific plane is stuck in the mud, so bays 110 and 112 cannot be used. Thus, only three bays are available for wide-body aircraft use. There are 6 delayed flight arrivals and 7 delayed departures from the Cebu Pacific.

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Here’s a list of the delayed flights:

ARRIVAL:

United Airlines (UA)

UA 189 San Francisco-Manila

Scoot (TR)

TR 396 Singapore-Manila

Emirates (EK)

EK 336 Dubai-Manila

Cebu Pacific (5J)

5J 050 Melbourne-Manila

5J 309 Guangzhou-Manila

JetStar (3K)

3K 763 Singapore-Manila

DEPARTURE:

Cebu Pacific (5J)

5J 110 Manila-Hongkong

All Nippon Airways (NH)

NH 820 Manila-Narita

Cathay Pacific (CX)

CX 912 Manila-Hongkong

JetStar (3K)

3K 763 Manila-Kansai

Emirates (EK)

EK 337 Manila-Dubai

Scoot (TR)

TR 397 Manila-Singapore

United Airlines (UA)

UA 190 Manila-San Francisco

Cebu Pacific states, “This situation is causing ramp congestion and subsequent delays in our operations. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue promptly,” The MIAA Aircraft Recovery is still in the process of removing the plane from the grassy area.

Sources: (1), (2), (3).

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