Manila releases Indonesian plane

Manila releases Indonesian plane

MANILA (Reuter): Philippine aviation authorities yesterday released an Indonesian plane carrying 25,000 kilograms of explosives after briefly impounding it for landing in Manila without official clearance.

The Boeing 707 plane of the Indonesian Merpati Airlines created a stir on Friday night when it arrived at the Manila airport without a permit from the Air Transportation Office (ATO), officials said.

It finally took off for Jakarta yesterday after its local agents secured landing and takeoff permits from the authorities, ATO operations officer Capt. Efren Caldoza said. The cargo was unloaded.

"It was just a case of miscommunication," he said.

The explosives, manufactured in Australia, were being imported by a Philippine government firm for its munitions factory, customs officials said.