'72 hours to normalize': NAIA expecting 700 flights after power outage crisis

ABS-CBN News

The Philippines will need at least 72 hours to normalize incoming and outgoing flights after a power outage knocked out radar and communication equipment at the country&#x27;s main airport. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/01/23/naia-flights-put-on-hold-in-new-years-day-crisis">NAIA, Cebu flights put &#x27;on hold&#x27; due to technical issues in New Year&#x27;s Day crisis</a></li></ul>Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Cesar Chiong said the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is preparing for some 700 flights on Monday after the power outage caused flight cancellations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, affecting thousands of passengers.&quot;[NAIA is] not really fully (operational). Prior to yesterday, we accept about 20 arrivals per hour. Right now, we are only accepting 15 arrivals per hour but there are no limits on the departures,&quot; he said in an ANC Rundown interview. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/02/23/list-canceled-flights-on-jan-2-due-to-naia-technical-issue">LIST: Canceled flights on Jan. 2 due to NAIA technical issue</a></li></ul>Chiong said that based on previous experience, it will take at least 72 hours to normalize flights after a major disruption such as a typhoon. &quot;Based on our experience in the last typhoon it will take about 72 hours for the airlines to normalize their operations, that is the estimate,&quot; he said. Airport officials have allowed the use of the runway for 24 hours to accommodate more flights. The MIAA is also asking airlines to shift to higher capacity aircraft so more passengers will be accommodated. In the interview, Chiong said 2 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) used to provide power to the air traffic management system of the Civil Aviation Authority failed, forcing CAAP to tap commercial power which caused a power surge. &quot;There was a power supply issue because the 2 UPS systems that they had which is the primary and the secondary source medyo nagfail. Yun ang main issue so when they tried to connect to the commercial power, the other problem that they experienced was the over voltage parang nag 380 volts instead of the normal 220 because of the power surge so some of the equipment that they have actually failed so that&#x27;s part of the main issue why there was no radio, there was no radar, there was no internet and there was no communication,&quot; he said. &quot;From about 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, basically there was no inbound or outbound flights in Philippine airspace,&quot; he added. CAAP earlier said this is the first time the current system, which was first used in 2018, had this problem.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="This the building that houses the Air Traffic Management Center that encountered the ‘technical issue.’ The air navigation system is used to monitor the location of planes and airspace capacity within and near NAIA. The system was inaugurated in 2018." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/01/02/tower.jpg"/><figcaption>This the building that houses the Air Traffic Management Center that encountered the ‘technical issue.’ The air navigation system is used to monitor the location of planes and airspace capacity within and near NAIA. The system was inaugurated in 2018.</figcaption></figure></div>The outage hit as many people began returning to the capital for work and school after the Christmas and New Year break. There were chaotic scenes at check-in counters across the country as thousands of people tried to re-book tickets or find when their flights might take off. Others who had boarded their aircraft before the glitch was announced waited for hours and were then disembarked.Stranded travellers were outraged and annoyed by the malfunction and lack of information given by airport staff. A woman who was supposed to fly to Singapore said she spent several hours sitting in a plane on the tarmac. She and her fellow passengers were eventually taken off the plane and offered hotel rooms. &quot;We were told it was a complete failure of radio comms at air traffic control,&quot; she told AFP.Tycoon Manny Pangilinan tweeted that he had been flying from Tokyo to Manila when the plane was diverted to Haneda due to &quot;radar and navigation facilities&quot; going down.&quot;6 hours of useless flying but inconvenience to travelers and losses to tourism and business are horrendous. Only in the PH. Sigh,&quot; Pangilinan wrote. With Agence France-Presse<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/02/23/mvp-offers-connectivity-power-supply-protection-after-naia-crisis">MVP offers connectivity, power supply protection after NAIA crisis</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2400448" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Philippines will need at least 72 hours to normalize incoming and outgoing flights after a power outage knocked out radar and communication equipment at the country's main airport. 

'72 hours to normalize': NAIA expecting 700 flights after power outage crisis | ABS-CBN

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'72 hours to normalize': NAIA expecting 700 flights after power outage crisis

'72 hours to normalize': NAIA expecting 700 flights after power outage crisis

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 02, 2023 11:05 AM PHT

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Updated Jan 02, 2023 12:36 PM PHT

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Cesar Chiong

NAIA

transportation

naia crisis

canceled flights

air traffic

air traffic control

CAAP

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