An aircraft has veered off a rain-soaked runway on landing at the Philippine capital's main airport, causing widespread flight disruptions due to a temporary runway closure.
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There were no casualties and all 157 passengers and eight crew aboard the Boeing 737-800 were unharmed after escaping down the emergency slides on Friday, according to airport authorities.
Images of the plane operated by Xiamen Air, a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines, showed it next to a perimeter fence with the left wing touching the ground.
The plane "misapproached" on its first attempt to land and lost contact with the control tower on the second attempt and skidded upon touchdown, said Ed Monreal, the Manila airport's general manager.
"Our priority now is to reopen the airport runway immediately but we are not rushing because we value the safety and security of all the people," he said.
Airport officials said they were looking into numerous factors, including the weather, the technology and communications between the pilot and tower.
Monreal said the airport was not able to extract the content of the flight recorder, which would be sent to Singapore for investigation.
Flights from the Middle East and the United States were diverted to the international airport at Clark, north of the capital, and the central island of Cebu.
There were chaotic scenes at the main airport in Manila, which was packed with passengers, with long queues outside the terminals and at check-in desks.
Australian Associated Press
