Over 100 flights cancelled as earthquake causes chaos in the Philippines

Over 100 flights cancelled as earthquake causes chaos in the Philippines
By Christian Fleetwood


More than 100 flights were cancelled at Clark International Airport, following a devastating earthquake in the Philippines.

A magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck the Philippines’ main island of Luzon on Monday, killing 11 people, with more than 30 people still unaccounted for in the municipality of Porac, Pampanga.

Along with the tragic deaths from the natural disaster, Pampanga province Governor Lilia Pineda said dozens of people had been injured.

It was also reported that a second magnitude-6.4 earthquake, predicted by the US Geological Survey, hit the Central Philippines on Tuesday.

CBS News said the quake was centered near the town of San Julian in the Eastern Samar province, and prompted residents to dash out of houses and office workers to scamper to safety.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from the new quake.

Over 400 aftershocks have been registered since the initial quake, with some as strong as 3.4 magnitude, Philippine seismologists said.

Monday’s earthquake caused significant damage to check-in counters, ceilings and parts of the departure area at Clark International Airport, forcing over 100 flights to be cancelled and the airport terminal to be shutdown for nearly 48 hours, according to media reports.

The airport will reportedly re-open at 4pm this afternoon local time, with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Group taking to social media to confirm that the pre-departure area was well on its way to being ready for passengers.

The public should coordinate with airlines on the status of their flights, the Clark International Airport Corp said in a statement.

“Clark airport is business as usual, from counters to manifest to boarding gates,” CIAC president Jaime Melo said.

Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia reportedly earlier announced flight cancellations for Wednesday, before the 4pm reopening of the terminal was set.

FedEx and UPS resumed flights to Clark late Tuesday, indicating the “soundness” of its runway, according to the statement.

Power, flight information systems and CCTV cameras were “fully restored,” it said.

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