STATE-RUN Myanma Insurance is planning to pay compensation to Myanma Airways for damage to an aircraft that ran off the runway at Sittwe Airport on June 6, injuring three people and causing damage to the landing gear and one wing of the jet.

Dr Maung Maung Thein, the general manager of Myanma Insurance, said: “The aircraft carried aviation insurance in the sum of US$2 million. This policy covers not only aircraft damage, but also third-party insurance for damage to runways, fences, passengers and air freight,” he said.

“We sent two experts immediately to collect data about the accident and later an expert from Singapore also visited. Their findings are still being processed, and we will make the payment after calculating the amount of loss,” he added.

The Myanma Airways aircraft overran the runway during landing and skidded to the right of the runway, coming to a rest at the airport fence about 2000 feet from the tarmac. At the time, the Fokker F-28 aircraft was carrying 68 people, including 62 passengers and six crew members. The Sittwe runway is 6000 feet long and 150 feet wide.

A spokesperson from the Department of Civil Aviation said last week that an investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing.