Flight returns to NAIA after cabin fills with smoke

A Philippine Airlines (PAL) plane on Monday made a precautionary landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after the cabin filled with smoke shortly after take-off.

According to Emil Sumangil’s report on "24 Oras" on Tuesday, one of the passengers named Matthew filmed the scene on board PAL flight PR2543 going to Dumaguete.

Matthew said the cabin filled with smoke around 1:54 p.m., 10 minutes after take-off.

"They didn’t mention emergency landing pero they said in 2 minutes it will be landing again at NAIA," he added.

"Before the take-off, I heard a loud 'bang', an abnormal sound po ang narinig. After that, the smoke situation happened."

Matthew recounted how the pilots and flight attendants instructed them to "bow down, bow down, cover your nose, cover your mouth."

"Our hearts were racing and we’re all praying na sana kapag nag-land safe tayong lahat… thank God everybody was safe… it was a miracle," he added.

PAL Spokesperson Cielo Villaluna spoke with GMA News and confirmed that the plane experienced a technical problem that resulted in smoke venting into the cabin after take-off from Manila, prompting the flight crew to return to Manila for a precautionary landing.

"All 82 passengers and four crew members (two pilots and two cabin crew) are safe and were able to disembark using the aircraft's stairs," Villaluna added.

She noted that the PAL management provided the affected passengers with hotel accommodations and arranged for a replacement flight to Dumaguete. — Mel Matthew Doctor/DVM, GMA News