Korean Air jet overshoots runway at Philippine airport, no injuries reported

MANILA – A Korean Air jet with 173 people on board overshot 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 evacuated safely.

The Airbus SE A330 wide-body aircraft flying from Seoul to Cebu had tried to land twice in poor weather before it over-ran the runway on its third attempt at 11.07pm local time, Korean Air said on Monday.

Passengers have been escorted to three local hotels and an alternative flight is being arranged, the airline said of flight KE361. We are currently identifying the cause of the incident.

Video from the scene verified by Reuters showed widespread damage to the plane. The nose landing gear appeared to have collapsed.

Korean Air president Woo Kee-hong issued a letter of apology on the airlines website, noting that a thorough investigation would be carried out with local aviation authorities and the South Korean authorities.

We remain committed to standing behind our promise of safe operations and will do our very best to institute measures to prevent its recurrence, Mr Woo said.

The A330-300 jet involved in the accident was delivered new to Korean Air in 1998, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, which said that other flights to Cebu had diverted to other airports or returned to their origin.

The Cebu airport said on its Facebook page that it had temporarily closed the runway to allow for the removal of the plane, meaning all domestic and international flights were cancelled until further notice.

Korean Air has not had a fatal passenger crash since 1997, according to Aviation Safety Network, a website that compiles aviation accidents. The airline had a poor safety record at that time, but sought outside help from Boeing and Delta Air Lines to improve its standards. REUTERS Embed Facebook Facebook

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