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Another AirAsia plane overshoots runway on landing in Philippines as concerned passengers say they are 'following the QZ8501 news'

The flight to Kalibo was, like QZ8501, already delayed by bad weather

Adam Withnall
Tuesday 30 December 2014 13:00 GMT
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An AirAsia plane has overshot the runway on landing in the Philippines, forcing passengers to evacuate the aircraft on emergency slides, it has been reported.

Those on board the domestic Flight Z2 272 from Manila to Kalibo had already endured an anxious wait as bad weather caused two-hour delays, according to a journalist travelling on the plane.

The incident comes just days after AirAsia flight QZ8501disappeared during a storm while on route from Surabaya to Singapore. Search teams on Tuesday recovered at least 40 bodies from the sea near where the plane was lost.

Rappler’s Jet Damazo-Santos reported that today’s short flight to Kalibo airport came down with “a hard, abrupt landing” followed by “a very abrupt stop”.

Emergency services were waiting on the grass at the end of the runway, she said, and elderly passengers received medical attention in the wake of the evacuation.

Prior to this week, AirAsia had an excellent safety record, with none of its planes having ever been involved in a fatal incident.

But the news from QZ8501 has been watched around the world, and saw a significant drop in the value of AirAsia shares on Monday.

Ms Damazo-Santos herself tweeted before her plane’s accident that she was “following the QZ8501 news while sitting on an AirAsia plane delayed because of very bad weather”.

Tony Fernandes, the chief executive of AirAsia, responded on Tuesday to the discovery of bodies in the search for the missing jet.

“My heart is filled with sadness for all the families involved in QZ 8501,” he tweeted. “On behalf of AirAsia my condolences to all. Words cannot express how sorry I am.

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