MIAA and NAIA personnel were alarmed by a distress call from a Saudia plane only to find out it was a false alarm.
False alarm – a confirmation of relief after a distress call was received from a commercial plane which came from Saudi Arabia and landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on September 20, Tuesday afternoon.
In an offcial statement, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) clarified that it was only a case of false alarm after the Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SVA 872 mistakenly made a “distress call”.
According to MIAA, it received information from the Manila Control Tower that the Saudi flight was “under threat” 20 miles before landing.
According to NAIA General Manager Ed Monreal, the mistake – the captain accidentally pressed the alarm button twice – prompted the airport authorities to conduct security measures.
The personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Aviation Security Group airport authorities and airline executives responded on site. MIAA authorities also conducted standard operating procedure in accordance with the airport emergency plan.
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