Two days after Korean Air flight KE631 overshot the runway at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB), operations partially resumed today, October 25th. Let's look closely at this developing story.

Runway operations partly resumed at Cebu Airport

Korean Air flight KE631 from Seoul Incheon (ICN), South Korea, overshot the runway at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) on Sunday, October 23rd. Two days later, the airport has partly restored its commercial operations.

Yesterday, October 24th, the runway where the accident occurred partly reopened between 16:00 and 18:00 but was operated for departures only. The reopening of the runway was possible thanks to close collaboration between the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and GMR MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC).

Today, two days after the accident, Cebu International has officially resumed operations. However, it still cannot accommodate evening flights. MCIAA General Manager, Glenn Napuli, stated airport operations are indeed allowed between 05:00 and 17:00 currently.

This measure will apply for the next two weeks, or until the Korean Air Airbus A330 is completely and safely removed from the end of the runway. The unavailability of the airport to accommodate evening and night flights stems from the fact that the approach lights and localizer of runway 04 were damaged by the overshoot incident. Currently, airport personnel are working to restore both the equipment to enable the safe resumption of night operations.

Removing the Airbus 330

In giving an update on the situation at Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Glenn Napuli also mentioned the procedure which is being followed to safely remove the A330 from the end of runway 04.

Napuli specified that, according to the safety protocol, safety teams are removing the fuel still present in the aircraft. He added that workers must remove all luggage and cargo before the aircraft can be displaced to another area. Once the plane has been emptied, a 300-tonne crane will move the wreckage away from runway 04.

A joint investigation by Philippine and South Korean authorities

After the accident, commercial flights were diverted to the nearby Panglao International Airport (TAG) in Bohol province. Until commercial operations have been completely restored, part of the Cebu-bound flights will continue to be diverted to this airport.

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In the meantime, a joint investigation by the Cebu International airport and South Korean authorities has been initiated to discover the real causes that led flight KE631 to overshoot on October 23rd. Representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) stated that the aircraft's flight recorders would be sent to either Japan or Singapore for examination.

A recap of the accident

Korean Air flight KE631 left Seoul's Incheon International Airport (ICN) at 19:20 local time. The flight was operated by a 24-year-old Airbus A330-300 registered as HL7525, and carried 162 passengers and 11 crew members.

Poor weather conditions led KE631's flight crew to abort landing twice. On the third landing attempt, the aircraft unfortunately overshot runway 04. Luckily, no injuries were reported among the 163 passengers and 11 crew members. Immediately after the accident, all passengers and crew were transferred to three local hotels, and the airline arranged an alternative flight.

Simple Flying reached out to Mactan-Cebu International Airport for further comment. We will update the article with any additional announcements from the airline.

Sources: CNN Philippines; CDN

• 

  Korean Air

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  KE/KAL

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Incheon International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1969

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Walter Cho

  Country:

  South Korea