Aircraft bound for Cebu suffers hydraulic problem

CEBU, Philippines - Air Asia Flight Z2 763 from Manila encountered a hydraulic problem while approaching the Mactan-Cebu International Airport early morning yesterday.

Bert Segovia of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines confirmed that flight Z2 763 bound for Cebu from Manila suffered problem, which is considered “minor.”

“Minor ra man, nangutana ko sa (air traffic) controller sa tower, Zest Air (Asia) ang eroplano. Gi-sugat sa tow truck ug gidala padulong sa may ramp,” Segovia said.

The nose gear steering-wheel, located at the front portion of the plane, reportedly failed to function, prompting emergency responders at the airport to be placed on standby.

In a press statement, Philippines Air Asia said its plane, carrying 166 passengers, landed safe around 8:31 a.m. yesterday. Air Asia said the plane had technical issues on its way to the ramp and had to be towed.

CAAP said the aircraft had a hydraulic problem but Air Asia management said the cause is still being investigated by its experts.

The Air Asia management admitted there was a “technical problem” and that they were already determining the cause.

“The plane had technical issue on its way to the ramp and had to be towed. Safety and engineering teams are currently checking the cause. We will provide updates as soon as they are available,” Philippines Air Asia said.

Meanwhile, Andrew Harrison GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation chief executive advisor, said the flight crew made precautionary measures as they, including the pilot, were trained to respond to emergencies.

“It was a precautionary measure when (an) emergency was declared and the pilots of all these different airlines are trained to handle emergencies very well, and they did their job as professionally as ever,” he told reporters.

He said passengers of the said flight were safe.

“Any emergency that will happen in the airport is well prepared (for). We have a structured emergency plan, including the fire brigade and all emergency services to respond to every type of emergency related to an airport,” Harrison added.

The Air Asia plane was temporarily parked at the MCIA runway as of last night for inspection.

“Yes, they can park as long as they need to, to assess whatever challenges they have. Air Asia is well-equipped to deal with all these types of events. I’m sure they (passengers) were briefed while on board,” Harrison said.

No details of the problem have been released yet by the airline although it said that its safety and engineering team is now checking the aircraft. – (FREEMAN)