B-767 blocks NAIA runway

A Thai Airlines B-767 from Osaka was unable to clear the runway after it landed at 1:06 p.m. yesterday due to hydraulic failure, forcing authorities to suspend Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) international operations for some 30 minutes.

The wide-bodied jetliner stayed at the end of Runway 24, blocking the path of departing and arriving carriers.

An arriving Cebu Pacific plane from Singapore was delayed, but did not divert to another airport. Departing flights waited on the tarmac.

The passengers of the B-767 were told to remain inside the plane while the airport crash and rescue units rushed to the scene to help tow away the stalled plane to its parking bay. – Rey Arquiza