Plane slides off Manila runway causing delays

A Chinese passenger jet slid off the runway as it landed at Manila airport in torrential rain forcing dozens of flight cancellations yesterday, as engineers struggled to remove the stricken aircraft.

The Xiamen Airlines plane, carrying 157 passengers and eight crew, landed on its second attempt before skidding onto the grass and ripping off its left engine late Thursday evening, airport general manager Ed Monreal said.

All on board were safely evacuated from the aircraft with no serious injuries. But nearly 24 hours after the accident, rescue crews were still unable to remove the plane, forcing the airport to cancel take-offs and landings from the largest of its two runways.

An official statement said the runway would remain closed until around 5:00am Saturday (2100 GMT Friday) as two cranes were still being put in place to lift the plane.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio said at least 67 local and international flights were cancelled on Friday.