Oct 24 (Reuters) – Korean Air Co., Ltd. (003490.KS) A plane carrying 173 people on board crossed the runway at Cebu International Airport in the Philippines late on Sunday, the airline said, adding that there were no injuries and all passengers were safely evacuated.
Airbus SE (AIR.PA) Korean Air said in a statement on Monday that its A330 wide-body aircraft, which was flying from Seoul to Cebu, twice attempted to land in bad weather before it invaded the runway on the third attempt at 23:07 (1507 GMT).
“Passengers have been escorted to three local hotels and an alternative flight is being arranged,” the airline said of flight KE361. “We are currently determining the cause of the accident,” he added.
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A video recording from the scene, verified by Reuters, showed widespread damage to the aircraft. The landing gear in front appears to have collapsed.
Korean Air chief Keehong Woo issued an apology on the company’s website, saying that Philippine and South Korean authorities will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause.
“We remain committed to fulfilling our promise of safe operations and will do our best to take measures to prevent a recurrence,” Wu said.
The A330-300 involved in the accident was delivered new to Korean Air in 1998, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, which said other flights to Cebu had diverted to other airports or returned to their origin.
Cebu Airport said on its Facebook page that it has temporarily closed the runway to allow the plane to be removed, which means all domestic and international flights are canceled until further notice.
Korean Air has not had a fatal passenger crash since 1997, according to the Aviation Safety Network, a website that compiles airline accidents.
The airline had a poor safety record at the time but requested outside help from Boeing (ban) And Delta Airlines (DAL.N) to improve its standards.
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Additional reporting by Jamie Fried in Sydney and Karen Lima in Manila; Editing by Mark Porter and Diane Kraft
Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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