PAL plane makes emergency landing in Laoag Airport

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte -- An aircraft of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) bound for Basco, Batanes, safely touched down Monday on the runway of the Laoag International Airport here in an emergency landing after it experienced mechanical trouble.

LIA General Manager Ronald Estabillo confirmed Tuesday that about 2:30 p.m. on Monday the PAL aircraft, Air Phil 2086, with at least 76 passengers, safely landed on the runway of the airport.

He said that the airplane from Manila was about to land at the Basco airport when the pilots noticed that the hydraulic system of the plane’s landing gear was malfunctioning.

“This prompted the pilot to divert the plane to LIA in an emergency landing for mechanical repair of the plane’s hydraulic system,” Estabillo said.

“All the passengers safely disembarked and some of them were billeted to Plaza Del Norte while the other passengers took a PAL flight at 12:40 a.m. Tuesday to Manila,” he added. -- Freddie Lazaro