‘Glenda’ forces Naia closure for nearly 4 hours

By: Niña Calleja - 10 years ago

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia). INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The strong winds and intense rains brought by Typhoon “Glenda” (international name: Rammasun) forced aviation authorities to shut down runway operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) for nearly four hours Wednesday morning, affecting all incoming and outgoing flights.

In an announcement posted on its Twitter account, the Department of Transportation and Communications said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines suspended the operations of the NAIA runway at 7 a.m. due to the typhoon.

The DOTC, however, announced later that the landing and takeoff operations at the NAIA went back to normal at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Connie Bungag, chief of the Manila International Airport Authority media affairs division, said airlines were given clearance to land and take off at 11 a.m. with Eva Air making the first landing at the NAIA when the weather began to clear up.

The typhoon, which battered Metro Manila and nearby provinces Wednesday morning, practically shut down airport operations, she said.

Since Tuesday, airlines began canceling flights to and from Manila in anticipation of the arrival of the typhoon.

Bungag said early Wednesday morning, uprooted trees and fallen electric posts blocked the Ninoy Aquino Avenue, the road leading to the Naia Terminal 1.

She, however, said that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority already cleared obstructions from the road before noontime.

Octavio Lina, manager of the Naia Terminal 3, said even if most flights had been canceled and the passengers notified, there were still some passengers arriving at the airport hoping that their flight would push through within the day.

“They took their chances,” he said in a telephone interview.