SURIGAO CITY — Local authorities said a passenger jet with 73 people on board overshot the end of the runway on Sayak Airport in Del Carmen town on Siargao Island Tuesday morning.
The Del Carmen Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said a passenger jet of Skyjet Airlines from Manila landed a few meters at the end of the runway at around 11:32 a.m.
Nobody was injured in the incident, and the 73 passengers and plane crew were assisted to safety by firefighters and airport workers, said Gilbert Ortojan, local manager of Skyjet Airline in Siargao.
Ortojan said the cause of the incident is under investigation but noted that there was a birdstrike.
Gregorio Pornillos Jr., 25, one of the passengers, said that the plane had tried to evade a relatively large bird, possibly an eagle.
Flights to and from Siargao, a popular tourist destination, have been suspended following the incident.
Del Carmen Mayor Alfredo Coro Jr. said they are now assisting Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to ensure regular operations would resume anytime soon.
“We are now waiting for CAAP to finalize the investigation to avoid further mishaps. LGU Del Carmen MDRR is ready to respond with support from DPWH and Contractors to pull the airline as per agreed protocol for handling. All passengers of Skyjet are safe and sound and taken to arrival with their luggage through vans,” Coro said.
“All flights for the day may be canceled already and can only resume once we pulled the airline out of the runway,” the mayor added. (Roel N. Catoto/PNA)
