MANILA – Flight delays and cancellations greeted travellers flying in and out of the Philippine capital on New Year’s Day, after a power failure at the country’s air traffic management centre disrupted communication with all planes.
Local carriers Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific issued separate advisories on Sunday warning that several of their domestic and international flights will either be delayed or diverted due to “technical issues” with the navigational air traffic management system at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said at least 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, affecting around 56,000 passengers.
Images on social media showed heavy traffic going to NAIA Terminal 3, and large crowds at waiting areas in the airport, with airline staff distributing food packs and drinks.
Philippines’ Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a press conference on Sunday evening that NAIA’s uninterrupted power supply equipment failed to connect to utility firm Meralco’s power supply at 9:49 am. The backup system also failed, then a power surge occurred due to the blackout.
These problems caused all communication lines and Internet access to be lost at NAIA.
Airport management said the air navigation system was “partially restored” by 4 pm.
The system was fully operational by 7.45 pm, but the broken equipment still has to be replaced.
Mr Bautista said the airport will need a huge sum of money to upgrade the equipment, which they bought in 2018 for 13 billion pesos (S$312 million) through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has instructed us to immediately conduct a study. In our Cabinet meetings, we already presented this problem. After what happened today, we need to fast-track the backup system,” said Mr Bautista.
“If you compare us to Singapore, they are at least 10 years ahead of us,” added the DOTr chief, referring to the state-of-the-art Changi Airport.
As of press time, many of the affected passengers had yet to receive updates on their rescheduled flights. Airlines like Cebu Pacific gave passengers the option to either rebook flights for free or convert their tickets to their travel fund.
But the MIAA expects it would take around 72 more hours before airlines will be able to resume all their flights.
Some passengers hoping to be with their loved ones on the first day of 2023 aired their grievances on social media.
Ms Christle Casador’s flight from Davao province in southern Philippines to Manila was initially delayed by five hours on Sunday.
“Been travelling a lot, but this is my first time encountering this problem. We don’t know when the next scheduled flight will be, but at least we are safe. Anyway, happy new year,” Ms Casador said on Facebook.
Dr Myra Dee Lopez, 47, was supposed to return home to Manila after her holiday in Bali, Indonesia, on Sunday morning, but Cebu Pacific had to divert her flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, instead.
“What a way to start the year,” she tweeted, adding an “upset” emoji.
Dr Lopez told The Straits Times that the airline had yet to reschedule her flight as it is awaiting instructions from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vYXNpYS9zZS1hc2lhL3Bvd2VyLW91dGFnZS1hdC1haXItdHJhZmZpYy1jb250cm9sLWRlbGF5cy1mbGlnaHRzLWludG8tbWFuaWxh0gEA?oc=5
2023-01-01 11:41:20Z
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