Korean Air plane overshoots Cebu runway, no injuries reported
A Korean Air Lines Co Ltd (003490.KS) flight carrying 173 people overshot the runway at Cebu International Airport in the Philippines, the company reported, adding that there were no injuries and everyone had safely boarded another aircraft.
Inclement weather forced the Airbus SE A330 widebody travelling from Seoul to Cebu to undertake three landing attempts before it overran the runway at 23:07 (1507 GMT), according to a statement released by Korean Air on Monday.
“Passengers have been escorted to three local hotels and an alternative flight is being arranged,” the airline said of flight KE361. “We are currently identifying the cause of the incident.”
Widespread damage to the plane was visible in photos and videos taken of the scene. It appeared as though the nose landing gear had collapsed.
On the airline’s website, Korean Air President Keehong Woo apologized and promised a full investigation by Philippine and South Korean authorities to ascertain the cause.
“We remain committed to standing behind our promise of safe operations and will do our very best to institute measures to prevent its recurrence,” Woo said.
Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 reported that other planes to Cebu had been diverted to other airports or returned to their origin.
On its Facebook page, the Cebu airport said that it has temporarily blocked the runway to allow for the plane’s evacuation, canceling all incoming and outgoing flights till further notice.
