MANILA — An Air Asia plane with 159 passengers and six crew made a safe emergency landing at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday following an engine failure, airport officials said.

The pilot, Allan Roque of Air Asia flight Z2 612 bound for Manila, requested the Manila Control Tower at the NAIA for an emergency landing and called for rescue teams on the ground at around 10:47 a.m.

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Roque reported that the right engine of the Airbus 320 plane was damaged by the intense heat and failed right after takeoff from Davao City.

The flight was scheduled to land at 11:30 a.m. at the NAIA Terminal 4, but due to the emergency situation, the flight was given priority to land. The plane landed safely at Runway 24 around 11 a.m. The plane was towed towards Terminal 4 where the passengers disembarked.

Sought for his reaction, Manila International Airport Authority general manager Ed Monreal replied, “Any aircraft that declared an emergency will be given priority to land first among others because we are talking about the lives of the passengers and crews who needed our attention.” SFM

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