Typhoon Flew Planes Off-Ground



17 July 2014


A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 and a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane were blown out of its mooring at Ninoy Aquino International Airport early morning yesterday after strong winds from Typhoon Rammusun, local name Glenda blasted the tarmac and lifted the behemoth planes off the grown knocking Gate 6 Air Bridge at Terminal 1 and hitting the steel stairway while parked at the cargo terminal, airport official said.

Terminal 1 Manager Dante Basanta said strong winds flew the two parked planes of Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines despite being  adequately moored.
 
Basanta said the Boeing 777 aircraft of Singapore Airlines were literally flown by the winds and dragged about 5 meters, causing it to hit the air bridge hard and dent the left engine and thereafter its left wing.

Meanwhile, the Boeing 738 plane of Malaysia Airlines also sustained damage to its fuselage after it turned some 45 degrees to its side and hitting a service stairs stationed nearby while it was still parked at the remote parking bay of the cargo terminal.

Both planes were ordered grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) citing their airworthiness as reason. Damage to the airplanes were assessed at more than 1 million dollars.

The typhoon forced the aviation authorities shut down the airport’s  two runways,  practically paralyzing the entire airport operations for nearly four hours Wednesday morning causing disruptions and cancellation of 120 domestic and international flights.

The runways were closed by CAAP at 7 a.m. Wednesday due to poor visibility caused by heavy rains and strong winds, and was reopened at 10:40 a.m.

NAIA terminals also showed damage with broken glass panels, fallen construction scaffoldings and damaged fixtures at Terminal 1. 

There were no substantial damage reported at Terminal 2 and 4, while terminal 3 boarding bridges 101 to 106 were reported to have suffered minimal damage which requires few days of work.

There were no reported casualty or injury by the airport authority.

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