LONDON – A Korean Air Lines A330 flying from Incheon, South Korea has overshot the runway on landing at Philippines’ Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
The incident took place late on Sunday in the Philippines’ central Cebu province.
The scheduled flight designated KE631 was operating with 173 persons on board, and had been attempting to land in bad weather. According to a statement issued by the airline the aircraft made two attempts at landing, before overshooting the runway on its third landing attempt.
Photo Credits: Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
Korean Air landing incident
All 162 passengers and 11 crew members were evacuated from the badly damaged aircraft via emergency escape slides. There have been no reported injuries.
“All passengers are safe and being attended by ground personnel,” the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines advised in a statement.
“We always prioritize safety in all of our operations, and we truly regret the stress and inconvenience brought to our passengers,” Korean Air President Woo Keehong stated.
The aircraft came to rest in the grass overshoot area and has suffered significant damage. The runway excursion resulted in heavy damage to the nose and has sheared the front underbelly of the fuselage away.
The upper fuselage shows a ripped hole near the forward cabin door.
The incident forced the cancellation and diversion of numerous flights inbound and outbound from Mactan-Cebu International Airport. It is understood that national flag carrier Philippine Airlines announced more than 50 cancelled flights as a result.
Philippine authorities advised that fuel would need to be siphoned from the stricken aircraft before a removal was attempted. A local investigation of the incident by Philippine authorities is now underway.
Department of Transport statement
The Philippines Department of Transport (DOT) has issued the following statement on the October 23 incident involving Korean Air at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA):
