Typhoon diverts 15 international flights to NAIA

A total of 15 international flights bound for Hong Kong from various capitals all over the world were diverted to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) yesterday due to tropical storm "Henry," which had just ravaged the country’s northern provinces.

The storm has become a full blown typhoon with international code name "Prapiroon," and is now wreaking havoc in China and Hong Kong.

Among the 15 flights was a Hong Kong-bound flight of one of the country’s major carriers, Cebu Pacific Airways, whose Flight 5J 100 took off from NAIA at 12:25 p.m. and turned back to Manila after bad weather on the way to Chep Lap Kok International Airport prevented it from landing.

Cathay Pacific had 10 of its Hong Kong-bound flights coming various places such as Beijing, China; Singapore; Jakarta; Alaska in the US; Penang, Malaysia; Melbourne, Australia; and London, England, diverted to NAIA.

The airline’s Manila station office had to scramble for billeting for the more than 2,700 passengers who had to stay the night in Manila.

British Airways had their two Hong Kong-bound flights diverted to NAIA, and Swissair had one flight going to Hong Kong from Zurich and Northwest Airlines had one flight coming from Miami, among those diverted due to the 120 kilometer per hour winds battering Hong Kong.

Manuel Hortaleza, NAIA ramp control tower chief, said the sudden flood of wide-bodied jets that crowded the NAIA aircraft parking area by late afternoon had forced them to advise all international airlines that other flights could not be accommodated.

It was learned that additional flights that would have to be diverted would be pointed to Cebu or Davao.