MANILA, Philippines -- Just as it was about to launch flights to Vietnam, local carrier Cebu Pacific Air canceled a Bangkok-bound flight on Wednesday night after it was denied transit through Vietnamese air space, stranding close to 200 passengers.Some missed connecting flights, while many became upset as they waited on board their Thailand-bound plane for two hours only to learn they would not take off, a passenger told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Thursday. “We sat on the plane for two hours with no explanation why.... Because of the lack of information, it scared a lot of people on the plane.... There were so many angry people,” said Stuart Garland, a Welshman and frequent tourist to the Philippines. “We were just told that the plane was not allowed to pass through Vietnam air space,” said Garland, a vacationing trade. “I asked a flight attendant if there was a problem with the aircraft and he just said there was a technical problem.” Cebu Pacific Flight 5J-931, booked with 179 passengers, was supposed to depart around 9:50 p.m. on Wednesday. It was canceled just before it was to line up for takeoff at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The airline confirmed the cancellation but was vague about why, offering no explanation for Vietnam’s decision to bar the plane transit through its air space despite several inquiries. “We cancelled our Manila-Bangkok flight last night because we did not have clearance to fly over one of the states on the route to Bangkok. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused by this incident to our guests,” Candice Alabanza-Iyog, airline marketing director, said in a statement. Iyog said a number of the 179 passengers were immediately billeted for the night at the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City while those who “urgently needed” to be in Bangkok were transferred to other airlines. “They were quite accommodating at the hotel, they gave us breakfast and lunch,” said Garland. While it was unclear why Vietnam denied the airline transit, Cebu Pacific announced Thursday it would start flying to the Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in April. | 
