Korean Air flight overshoots runway, leaving plane nose crumpled on ground and forcing airport to close
The president of Korean Air has confirmed that the incident is under investigation by authorities
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Your support makes all the difference.A Korean Air plane overshot the runway while landing in the central Philippines, with photos showing the aircraft’s nose crumpled on the ground.
Authorities say there were no injuries among the 173 people on board.
The incident occurred when Korean Air flight KE631 from Incheon, South Korea, landed in poor weather on Mactan Island in central Cebu province late on Sunday, 23 October.
The Airbus 330 attempted to land twice before overshooting the runway on the third attempt, Korean Air Lines Co. said in a statement.
Passengers and crew had to use emergency slides to evacuate the aircraft, Al Jazeera reports.
The aircraft’s nose was heavily damaged, while the front underbelly was sheared off during the landing.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said in a statement: “All passengers are safe and being attended by ground personnel.”
Mactan Cebu International Airport had to be closed following the incident, as the plane remained stuck in the grass.
Dozens of flights from the Cebu province were cancelled, including some by Philippine Airlines, which announced more than 50 domestic services would be cancelled.
At least four more flights were diverted to Manila and another nearby airport, the Philippine aviation agency said.
The airline said following the incident: “Passengers have been escorted to three local hotels and an alternative flight is being arranged. We are currently identifying the cause of the incident.”
Korean Air President Woo Kee-hong released a statement on the airline’s website, assuring that the incident would be thoroughly investigated by Korean authorities and local aviation authorities.
He said: “We remain committed to standing behind our promise of safe operations and will do our very best to institute measures to prevent its recurrence.”
Al Jazeera reports that the airline has not had a fatal passenger crash since 1997, according to aviation accident website Aviation Safety Network.
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