MIAA reopens runway where plane crashed Sunday

March 30, 2020

The Manila International Airport Authority ( MIAA) reopened the runway where a plane on medical evacuation mission to Japan caught fire after takeoff Sunday night.

The 06-24 runway was reopened at 4:20 am, said Ed Monreal, MIAA general manager.

Monreal said the West Wind plane owned by Lionair Inc.  prepared for take off at 7:57 pm.  It exploded minutes later and crashed on  runway 06-24 at around 8pm.

Eight people aboard the plane died, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.

In a statement, CAAP said :“The flight, which was on a medical evacuation mission to Haneda, Japan, was carrying two passengers and six crew members.''

“Unfortunately, no passenger survived the accident,” CAAP added.

Immediately after the incident, the MIAA Fire and Rescue team was dispatched to the site to douse the flames with chemical foam.

CAAP said investigators from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board are  on ite to determine the cause of the incident.

According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the fire was doused around 9:02 pm.

The Department of Health (DOH) has tapped Lionair to ferry essential medical supplies in Zamboanga, Mactan, Iloilo, Butuan and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). Ella Dionisio/DMS