KUALA LUMPUR: An AirAsia Zest aircraft was reported to have overshot the runway while landing at Kalibo Airport, Philippines today, just after news broke that Indonesia AirAsia QZ8501, which went missing last Sunday, was found to have crashed off the coast of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia.
Jet Damazo-Santos, a Jakarta-based journalist from the Philippines, posted on her Twitter account (@jetdsantos) that she and other passengers aboard Zest flight Z2272 from Manila were forced to evacuate the aircraft via an emergency slide.
“Engine was shut immediately, we were told to leave bags, deplane asap. Firetruck was waiting. Seems handled well.’,” she said.
The flight, she said, had been delayed for two hours and faced bad weather conditions due to tropical storm Seniang which hit the country yesterday.
Meanwhile, Giovanni Hontomin, who is in charge of AirAsia Zest's operations, said crew members activated an emergency slide to help passengers disembark safely from the Airbus A320-200. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the plane remained stuck on a grassy area near the runway's end.