MANILA, Philippines – An aircraft of budget airline Cebu Pacific asked for priority landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila on Wednesday, August 8.
The pilot of flight no. CEB454C reported technical difficulties and asked to be prioritized in using the runway, Cebu Pacific Vice President for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog confirmed to Rappler.
“The pilot saw a minor technical issue with the aircraft. It’s a standard operating procedure [that if the pilot observes something], the pilot has to coordinate with the airport,” she explained to Rappler.
“There was no request for an emergency landing. The request was for priority landing,” she added, making reference to the tight slotting system for the use of the runway, which is congested.
“It landed normally” and no one was hurt, she said.
The aircraft — an Airbus A320 — took off from Iloilo City at around 10 a.m.
After it safely landed at NAIA, the aircraft was escorted by fire trucks and an ambulance to Terminal 3 where the budget airline operates flights.
Alerts about the aircraft was first reported on social media.
If you’re near the SLEX side of NAIA’s runway, CEB454C is now lined up for landing. It has declared an emergency.
— The NAIA Guy (@naiaguy) August 8, 2012
Iyog said the plane is now being checked. Its next scheduled flight is in the evening.
The Gokongwei-led airline prides itself for having the youngest fleet among the local airlines. – Rappler.com
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