MANILA, Philippines – Dipolog Airport in Zamboanga del Norte was closed on Wednesday, February 14, after a Cebu Pacific plane encountered technical difficulties on the runway.
"On or about 12:15 pm... Cebgo Flight DG 6603 Cebu-Dipolog developed technical difficulties upon landing at the Dipolog Airport," Cebu Pacific said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The pilots detected unusual vibrations from the nose landing gear of the aircraft during the landing rollout. As a safety precaution, the aircraft stopped on the runway where all passengers were deplaned from the runway and then guided to the terminal building."
The airline said the flight was carrying 60 passengers and "all are safe and accounted for."
Airport closed
Cebu Pacific said that due to the incident, "the runway of the Dipolog Airport is now closed since the aircraft cannot be moved until a maintenance team arrives onsite and further assessment is conducted."
This means that flights to and from Dipolog City for Wednesday are canceled. Affected flights are:
- 5J 703 Manila-Dipolog
- 5J 704 Dipolog-Manila
- DG 6604 Dipolog-Cebu
Cebu Pacific said additional flights will be mounted on Thursday, February 15, for the affected passengers.
"Affected passengers will be offered accommodation if needed and will be informed regarding their new flight schedule shortly," the airline added.
The passengers may also avail of the following options:
- Rebook their flights for travel within 30 days from the original departure date.
- Reroute to alternate stations.
- Get a full refund.
- Place the value of the ticket in a travel fund.
"All affected passengers will be entitled to a free travel voucher. We apologize for the inconvenience this incident has caused," Cebu Pacific added. – Rappler.com