200 passengers stranded at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines - At least 200 passengers who arrived Tuesday from Japan, the United States and Doha, Qatar were stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.

Marcia Villano, 48, of Barangay Dolores, Taytay, Rizal said she and her two daughters had to spend the night at the airport’s lobby because no one was able to pick them up due to flooding. They arrived at the airport from Geneva on board a Qatar Airways plane at 4:30 p.m.

Beatrice Beary and Violy Carranza, who arrived from Texas on board Delta Air, said their respective families failed to pick them up because of heavy rains.

“We were trying to reach them through cellular phones but we are having difficulties in contacting them,” they said.

Meanwhile, At least seven domestic flights of Airphil Express were diverted yesterday to the Clark International Airport in Pampanga due to air traffic congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

“There were no cancellation of international and domestic flights at the Clark airport amid continuous rains,” said Clark International Airport Corp. president Victor Jose Luciano.