An Emirates Boeing 777-300ER was damaged in Manila after a jetbridge malfunctioned. The aircraft was at the gate when it seems that, while the door was opened, there was a malfunction that almost ripped the door off earlier this week. Repairs will be necessary, and the aircraft is probably at least a few days out from reentering commercial service.
The incident in Manila
An Emirates Boeing 777-300ER was at the gate in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. There was an issue with the jetbridge that led to it nearly ripping the door off the plane. It does not appear that there were any injuries to customers or crew.
Incident / The L1 door of a @BoeingAirplanes 777-300ER @emirates was damaged at MNL airport after a jetbridge malfunctioned. Photos received from a friend. @JacdecNew @AviationSafety pic.twitter.com/yR4vDiYWY4
— Aeronews (@AeronewsGlobal) August 15, 2020
The L1 door is the first door of the aircraft on the left-hand side of the plane where the jetbridge attaches. This would be a door where premium passengers in first or business class would depart from. It is also the passenger door closest to the cockpit.
The aircraft will need to undergo some repairs. The door has to fit snugly and perfectly into its slot, or else it could lead to an unfortunate inflight incident. Examples include a leak in the door, causing an inflight decompression leading to the deployment of oxygen masks.
At this point, Emirates will need to get some replacement parts and keep the aircraft on the ground for a bit until it is repaired. The door will likely need to be replaced along with any of its associated parts. Those parts will probably need to be flown into Manila. Depending on how long it takes to source the parts, it may be a little bit until the plane can reenter commercial service.
Earlier this month, another Emirates Boeing 777-300ER slide accidentally deployed in Sydney. That aircraft was also at the gate.
The Boeing 777-300ER involved in the incidents
According to Aeronews, the aircraft involved was registered as A6-ENN. Data from Flightradar24 shows that the aircraft completed the flight from Dubai to Manila on August 14th. The flight number on the route was EK332, and it appeared to be a pretty uneventful flight.
The aircraft is a six-year-old Boeing 777-300ER. In addition to this Manila flight, the plane has, in the last few days, flown to Basra in Iraq, Mumbai in India, Amman in Jordan, Kuwait City in Kuwait, Beirut in Lebanon, Casablanca in Morocco, and more.
Emirates only operates widebody aircraft, meaning the 777-300ER flies routes long and short. According to data from Planespotters.net, the aircraft is outfitted in a three-class configuration with eight first class seats, 42 business class seats, and 310 economy class seats.
Emirates’ operations in Manila
The Philippines is a big destination for Emirates. The airline flies to Manila, Clark, and Cebu. Just the other day, Emirates announced that it would offer a one-off Airbus A380 flight to Clark. Other than that, the Boeing 777 is a popular aircraft on routes to the Philippines. Emirates operates up to three daily flights between its hub in Dubai and Manila.
What do you make of this incident involving an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in Manila? Let us know in the comments!