Hundreds of airline passengers are stranded in Davao, Philippines since Sunday night because of a runway accident involving a Cebu Pacific plane. The Airbus A-320 of Cebu Pacific landed off the runway at the Davao International Airport.

The reason behind the incident causing the pilot to make an emergency landing remains unknown as the airline awaits official investigators to arrive at the airport. All 165 passengers of the Cebu Pacific flight to Davao plus the flight crew were safe and free from injuries.

The plane remained where it landed on Monday as hundreds of passengers flocked to the airport to get to their respective flights. Those who were stranded the night before were given word that airport operations would return to normal on Monday. This was not the case.

All flights scheduled for Monday were cancelled. Airport staff and ground crew members say the plane cannot be removed from the runway because airline investigators have yet to arrive.

Rerouted flights

Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines, the country's flagship air carrier, rerouted their passengers to another airport in General Santos City. The city is 3 hours away and rerouted passengers had to ride a bus to get there. The General Santos City airport is smaller in size compared to the Davao airport.

Checking in is a grueling task as hundreds of passengers from both airlines are scrambling just to get a boarding pass. Due to the cramped space, hunger pangs and fatigue, some elderly passengers fainted causing other passengers to argue with airline staff over the poor service.

Local government demands probe

The city mayor called for an investigation by the national airport authorities because of the way passengers were treated. Most complained about the incompetency of crew members and the failure of the airline to inform incoming passengers of cancelled flights.

The president of a prestigious university in the city has called for a boycott of Cebu Pacific citing the unreliability of the airline in cases of emergency. As of writing, the grounded plane still remains on the runway of Davao airport. Incoming passengers from other parts of the country with Davao as destination are affected as well.