Mactan-Cebu airport remains on limited operations, no night flights

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 25) — The Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) partially resumed operations on Tuesday, but it cannot accommodate evening flights yet after a plane overshot the runway Sunday night.

MCIA Assistant General Manager Glenn Napuli said flights are allowed only from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the next 14 days or until the Korean Air Airbus A330, which is still stuck at the edge of the runway, can be moved to another location.

This clarification came after the Department of Transportation announced that flights to and from the international airport resumed on Tuesday.

Napuli said the airport can accommodate all types of aircraft even with a shorter runway.

Airport personnel are also working immediately to restore the damaged approach lights and localizer at runway 04. These lights are used in guiding aircrafts during evening flights.

Napuli said the process to remove the aircraft is painstaking because safety procedures have to be followed. A 300-tonner crane has been positioned near the aircraft to carry it to another portion of the airport — away from the runway, he also said.

A joint investigation by the local airport and its South Korean counterpart is ongoing to find out why the Korea Air flight KE 631 skid to the grassy portion of the runway on Oct. 23.

Help desks were also put up at the airport for all passengers including overseas Filipino workers and tourists visiting Cebu.

Cebu-based correspondent Dale Israel contributed to this report.