A medical evacuation plane bound for Japan burst into flames at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 and left no survivors.
The Lion Air Inc. plane was bound to Haneda, Japan with 8 passengers inside. Aboard were 3 flight crew, 1 flight med, 1 nurse, 1 doctor, and 2 patients. All were Filipinos except for the 2 patients who were a US and a Canadian citizen.
At 7:57 p.m., the Lion Air Westwind business jet was preparing for take off at Runway 24. At 8:00 p.m., the plane burst into flames meters from the end of the runway.
It took an hour before the flames were extinguished. The plane was completely destroyed due to the fire.
The bodies of the passengers were recovered at past 1:00 a.m.. The police is currently investigating the incident.
The runway has been temporarily closed which forced a Korean Airlines flight to transfer to the Diosdado Macapagal Airport in Pampanga.
According to Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) President Emmanuel Leyco, the patients were supposed to be brought to Japan for medical attention but did not disclose their illness.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has confirmed that the planes of Lion Air were used to transport medical supplies amid the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
It was reported on September that another Lion Air Inc. plane crashed in Calamba, Laguna where 9 people perished.
“The initial step we are looking into is grounding the whole fleet. It is quite alarming. We are looking into records of these unfortunate event that happened to Lion Air.” CAAP Deputy Director-General for Operations Captain Don Mendoza stated.
