(LEAD) Korean Air flight overruns Cebu runway, no injuries reported

SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) — Korean Air Lines Co. said Monday its flight KE631 with 173 people on board overran the runway while landing at Cebu International Airport in the Philippines a day earlier but no injuries were reported.

Korean Air expressed its “genuine” regret as it always prioritizes safety in all of its operations.

“A thorough investigation will be performed together with the local aviation authorities and Korean authorities to determine the cause of this event,” Korean Air President Woo Kee-hong said in a statement.

The company remains committed to standing behind its promise of safe operations and will do its very best to institute measures to prevent any recurrence, he said.

Passengers have been escorted to three local hotels and an alternative flight is being arranged, the statement said.

The A330-300 plane, carrying 162 passengers and 11 crew members, attempted to land twice in bad weather and on the third attempt overran the runway at 11:07 p.m. on Sunday, the statement said.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will set up an emergency response team to help handle the incident in the Southeast Asian country.

Currently, the Cebu airport is temporarily closed due to the stalled aircraft and other flights to Cebu are being diverted to nearby airports or returning to their points of origin.

Korean budget carriers’ flights bound for Cebu are being affected by the incident, with Jin Air Co.’s flight from Incheon to Cebu diverted to a nearby airport and Jeju Air Co.’s flight from Cebu to Incheon under delay, the ministry said in a statement.

Air Busan Co. said it will decide whether to offer flights from Busan to Cebu depending on the Cebu airport’s condition.