NAIA Secretary says sorry for emergency runway closure

EMERGENCY. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade apologizes for emergency runway closure. Photo by Ariel Fernandez of mb.com.ph

 

The Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has now apologized for the inconvenience brought by the sudden emergency closure of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Monday evening.

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At least 14 international flights were canceled on Monday, due to the sudden closure of the NAIA Runway 0624 because of an emergency repair when the asphalt got peeled off in the runway. This closure was said to have been made to ensure the aircrafts and passengers’ safety.

In a video interview, Tugade explained why he had to make the decision. “To all passengers, please accept my sincerest apologies for those who were affected by the delay. We did not want to compromise the safety of the aircrafts and the security of the passengers which is why I’m asking for your understanding.”

Tugade also apologized to President Duterte and vowed to not let the same incident happen again in the future.

A lot of passengers, who were affected by the immediate runway closure, expressed their frustrations to social media. Aside from cancelled flights, disturbances such as the diversion of flights to Clark airport, delayed arrivals and departures, and stranded passengers for hours were the effects of the closure.

 

Source: GMA Network; The Philippine Star; Manila Bulletin