Philippine Airlines (PAL) confirmed that flight PR102, which departed from Manila (MNL | RPLL) on Wednesday, 09 April 2025 en route to Los Angeles (LAX | KLAX), was diverted to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND | RJTT) early morning of Thursday, 10 April 2025 following initial reports of smoke coming from one of the aircraft’s two air conditioning units. The flight landed safely at Tokyo Haneda at 0330H local time with no reported injuries.
The aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER with registry number RP-C7782, was carrying 355 passengers and 18 crew members. All onboard safely disembarked after the aircraft was eventually assigned a gate at around 1000H LT, several hours after landing. PAL’s ground operations team at Haneda Airport provided full support to affected passengers, including meals, baggage assistance, and rebooking of onward flights.
PAL initially stated that passengers remained onboard while the airline coordinated with Haneda Airport authorities to ensure a smooth and safe disembarkation process. The airline also maintained constant communication with Philippine government officials, including the Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the office of Secretary Vince Dizon.
Among the passengers was Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy, who took to Instagram to thank the PAL cabin crew for their professionalism and calm response during the incident.
Following the event, the Department of Transportation has directed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to issue a show cause order to PAL, demanding an explanation for the incident and ensuring that affected passengers are properly compensated. Secretary Dizon also ordered CAAP to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the smoke emission.
In a separate statement, PAL reiterated that the safety of its passengers and crew remains its utmost priority and expressed gratitude to authorities in Tokyo and Manila for their support.