Runway damage hits Manila airport flights

Some flights to Manila’s  Ninoy Aquino International Airport, including a Qatar Airways aircraft, had to be diverted to Clark International Airport in the Philippine province of Pampanga yesterday due to reported runway repair works there.Qatar Airways, in a travel alert, said: “Due to emergency runway repairs at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the following flights operating on July 18 will be subject to service disruption - QR928 and QR929.”A Doha resident, who was on the diverted flight, told Gulf Times that even after seven hours she and her two children could not disembark at Clark. The passenger said she understood the delay was due to short notice diversion of many flights to Clark.“The Clark airport is not equipped to handle so many flights within a limited period,” she said.The AFP news agency quoted officials in Manila as saying that the main runway at the  airport was closed  due to heavy rain, with more than a hundred flights expected to be delayed or diverted.A section of the runway, which handles all large aircraft, suffered significant cracks yesterday morning, forcing it to close, aviation and airport spokesmen told AFP.“It was because of the heavy rain with all those huge aircraft landing. There was a crack (on the runway). It was too damaged so they had to close it for safety reasons,” said Eric Apolonio, spokesman for the government’s civil aviation office.The crack scattered small pieces of debris capable of being sucked into engines, making it too dangerous to fly, he told AFP.Manila International Airport said more than 40 departing flights would be delayed or cancelled while over 60 incoming planes would have to be diverted.Manila airport has a second, smaller runway but it has no landing lights and cannot receive large jet-liners after sundown, airport officials said.