24 NAIA flights diverted to provinces due to rains

MANILA, Philippines - As many as seven international and 17 domestic flights had been diverted to other airports due to heavy rains.

Airport officials said bad weather forced the diversion of incoming international flights to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Pampanga, to Mactan International Airport in Cebu and to the Iloilo International Airport.

The Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Beijing was cancel because of heavy rains.

Manila International Airport Media Affairs Division chief Connie Bungag said 17 domestic flights were also diverted to DMIA due to heavy rains, among them five PAL flights from Cebu, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Zamboanga and Tacloban.

Six domestic flights of Cebu Pacific from Iloilo, General Santos, Caticlan, Cebu, Dumaguete, Tacloban and two flights of Airphil Express from Caticlan and two SeaAir flights also from Caticlan were diverted, Bungag said.

International flights Emirates Airways EK 332 from Dubai, Cathay Pacific Airways CX 919 from Hong Kong, Hawaiian Airways HA 455 and PAL flight from Bangkok were diverted to DMIA.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ 919 was diverted to Mactan, Cebu while PAL PR 353 from Macau was diverted to Iloilo.

Officials ordered the diversion of flights since the navigational system (NAVAID) was not yet operational. The navigational device is currently being tested after repairs.

Bungag explained all incoming planes could not land under poor weather conditions without the NAVAID.

Most of the flights had to go around the airport for more than an hour, waiting for the weather to clear but others with limited fuel supply were forced to land in other airports.

Among the dignitaries caught by the delays was East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta.

The East Timorese leader was on board PAL PR 210 from Australia, supposed to arrive at 4:50 p.m. Monday.

Horta and his party landed two hours later. They were among the over 100 foreign dignitaries invited to attend today’s inauguration of president-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

East Timor Foreign Affairs Minister Zacarias Albano da Costa, on board Singapore Airlines flight SQ 919, arrived hours later when his flight was diverted to Mactan International Airport.

Meanwhile, Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan placed all of the country’s airports under “red alert status” for two days until after the presidential inauguration.

Libanan ordered immigration officials in the airports to be more alert in screening incoming passengers.

“Some bad elements of the country might use those days to hold their illegal activities knowing that our people are relaxed but they are wrong. Our people will be on 24/7 operations and maintain the highest form of vigilance in screening each passenger,” he said.