Following the runway excursion incident involving a Korean Air (KE) aircraft last Sunday night (23 October 2022, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has allowed the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to partially open to flights today between 1600H to 1800H (GMT+8). The airport was able to accommodate a Jeju Air flight (JJA2406) bound for Incheon, South Korea.
The CAAP has issued NOTAM B3339/22 that will have an effect until 1800H of 25 October 2022 (GMT+8) declaring the partial operability of the airport under day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) — when pilots have sufficient visibility and the airport runways allow temporary distances.
A notice to airmen (NOTAM) (B3339/22) has also been released by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) effective today until tomorrow evening (25 October, 6:00 p.m.) declaring the partial operability of the airport under day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) or aviation flight category in which visual flight rules flight is permitted. Under VMC, pilots have sufficient visibility to fly the aircraft maintaining visual separation from terrain and other aircraft.
As of this posting, the CAAP and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) are continuously working to complete the extraction of the Airbus A330 aircraft from MCIA’s runway end 22.
Korean Air Flight KE631 Details
Korean Air flight KE631 (Airbus A330 with tail number HL7525; MSN 0219) departed Seoul, South Korea for Cebu, Philippines at around 1020H (GMT) on Sunday, 23 October 2022 carrying 162 passengers and 11 crew members. Based on flight tracking data available, the flight was on final approach to CEB Runway 22 at around 1412H(GMT) when it decided to execute a go-around. Four (04) minutes later, at around 1426H (GMT), the aircraft attempted to land again but ended up making a second go-around. The plane was put on a holding pattern for around 30 minutes before it attempted to land again. The aircraft made a touchdown at around 1508H (GMT) but ended up resting some 300 meters from the runway end.
According to airport authorities, none of the passengers and crew of this flight suffered serious injuries. The incident damaged the instrument landing system lighting array of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The weather in Cebu at the time of the incident was poor due to thunderstorms and low clouds.
The passenger plane involved was delivered new to Korean Air in 1998.