- A flight from Manila to Fukuoka had to endure an unexpected 11-hour journey due to airport complications.
- The flight initially faced airspace congestion and had to be diverted to another airport.
- Later, it was discovered that the flight had to return to Manila due to Fukuoka Airport’s curfew.
Passengers on a three-hour flight from Manila to Fukuoka had to endure an 11-hour roundtrip journey after a series of unfortunate hiccups on the way to their destination.
The flight, operated by low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air, transported 125 passengers to Fukuoka Airport on Monday, according to the Japanese daily The Mainichi.
Flight data from Flightradar24 reveals that flight 5J922 took off from Manila at around 3:15 p.m. local time.
The plane was scheduled to land in Fukuoka approximately three hours later, as reported by The Mainichi.
However, due to heavy airspace traffic, the flight was instructed to circle the airport and make another attempt, according to The Mainichi, citing the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism’s Fukuoka office.
To avoid potential fuel depletion, the flight was redirected to Kitakyushu Airport, roughly 37 miles away from Fukuoka, explained The Mainichi.
Flight data shows that 5J922 circled over Fukuoka multiple times before eventually landing at Kitakyushu Airport at approximately 8:30 p.m. local time.
However, passengers were unable to disembark at Kitakyushu due to customs issues, as reported by The Mainichi.
Later on, the pilots realized that they wouldn’t be able to return to Fukuoka in time due to the airport’s 10 p.m. curfew. Fukuoka Airport enforces a flight curfew between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. to minimize noise disruptions for nearby residential areas.
CEB923 eventually left Kitakyushu Airport at around 12:15 a.m., based on flight data. By this time, passengers and crew had already spent close to eight hours on the plane.
The flight arrived at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport approximately three hours later. As a result, what was supposed to be a three-hour flight turned into an 11-hour ordeal, with passengers not reaching their intended destination.
A passenger who recorded a video during the flight told Japanese TV channel IT! that they were too exhausted to react by the time they returned to Manila.
“This is my first experience. I just arrived in Japan, but I’m flying back to Manila again,” they mentioned in the interview.
Cebu Pacific Air confirmed that flight 5J922 had to return to Manila after diverting to Kitakyushu. The airline provided hotel accommodation, meals, and a roundtrip voucher to any international short-haul destination for the affected passengers upon their return to Manila.
Passengers were offered flexible options, including rebooking their flights for free, storing the cost of their flights in a Travel Fund, or receiving a refund, according to Cebu Pacific Air.
Some passengers chose to fly with another airline, while others boarded a Cebu Pacific Air flight to Fukuoka on the same day.
Cebu Pacific Air apologized for the inconvenience caused and emphasized that safety is their top priority.
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