An incident in the Philippines has once again highlighted the importance of the most trivial but critical details in aviation.
Asiana Airlines Flight OZ708, scheduled to depart from Angeles City (Clark International Airport) in the Philippines to Incheon, South Korea, was delayed for more than 15 hours after the pilot lost his passport.
The plane was scheduled to leave the Philippines at 01:35 (at night) local time on March 28, but the flight was not possible: the pilot was unable to clear immigration control due to the lack of a passport. Despite a thorough search both on board and elsewhere, the document was never found. As a result, the airline decided to urgently send a replacement pilot from Korea. This delayed the flight by 15 hours and 20 minutes. According to the airport, the plane finally departed for Korea at 6 p.m. All 135 passengers were reportedly accommodated in nearby hotels, the company provided a transfer and later issued an official apology. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused,” Asiana Airlines said in a statement.
It should be noted that Angeles City in Pampanga Province, located near Manila, has become an important center of the Korean diaspora in the Philippines over the past decade and a half. Currently, almost 90 thousand citizens of the Republic of Korea live in this country. The reasons for such popularity of the Philippines in general and Angeles City in particular for Koreans are the availability of housing and education in English, a mild climate, attractive conditions for doing business, as well as the presence of Clark International Airport.