Hundreds Stranded Following Closure Of C. Philippine Airport

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded after an airport in central Philippine city of Tacloban was temporarily closed Wednesday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.
The CAAP said that the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport has to be closed from 2:00 p.m. Wednesday until 5:00 a.m. Thursday to give way for the repair of a damaged portion of the runway.
With the sudden closure of the airport, two airbus aircraft from AirAsia and Cebu Pacific were grounded and six more flights were canceled affecting hundreds of commuters, Tacloban Area Manager Antonio ALfonso said.

He said that airport authorities and the airlines affected are now accommodating stranded passengers and giving priority to the next available flight out of the Tacloban airport on Thursday. (Cihan/Xinhua)