Cebu Pacific A321neo aircraft disabled on Manila taxiway

A Cebu Pacific Airbus A321neo, registered RP-C4126, was disabled on the taxiway across the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 this morning, July 12.

According to initial information from the Manila International Airport Authority, the aircraft was being towed and repositioned from Bay 111 to Bay 122A, when the landing gear touched the grassy and muddy area beyond the taxiway.

“There were no passengers or crew onboard and no injuries reported at the time of the incident,” the MIAA said.

Ground crew usually perform the towing procedure, which requires a towbar to be attached to the aircraft’s nose landing gear. Since the aircraft is being repositioned to another bay, there were no passengers nor flight crew onboard the aircraft.

Cebu Pacific confirmed the incident, adding that the situation is causing ramp congestion and delays.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate your understanding. Further updates will be provided as they become available,” the airline said in a statement sent to AUP.

The MIAA Aircraft Recovery is working to remove the disabled aircraft as soon as possible.

The incident caused the temporary closure of Bays 110-112, which are primarily used for international widebody flights.

According to the MIAA, the following flights have been delayed as of 9:30 AM:

At 1:55 PM, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Operations Center reported that the aircraft was successfully towed out of the grassy knoll, on the way to Cebu Pacific’s Airline Operations Center. This was subsequently confirmed by the airline and the MIAA.