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'Ang daming naperwisyo': 3,000 passengers in Iloilo affected by NAIA outage

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Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News

CABATUAN, Iloilo (UPDATE)— Around 3,000 passengers at the Iloilo International Airport were affected by the New Year&#x27;s Day outage at Manila&#x27;s main aviation gateway.Flights from and to the airport in Cabatuan town were canceled after flight operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) were put on hold on the first day of 2023.Data from airline companies showed that 806 passengers of Philippine Airlines, 1,399 passengers of Cebu Pacific, and 498 passengers of Air Asia were affected by flight cancellations.Noel Pajutagana, his wife, and two children were among those stranded at the airport in Iloilo on Sunday evening. They were supposed to fly back to Manila after the Christmas and New Year break.Pajutagana said they only knew of their canceled flight while on their way to the airport.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Noel Pajutagana and his family were among those stranded at the Iloilo International Airport on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Noel Pajutagana." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/01/02/01022023-3,000-passengers-iloilo-affected-naia-outage.jpg"/><figcaption>Noel Pajutagana and his family were among those stranded at the Iloilo International Airport on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Noel Pajutagana.</figcaption></figure></div>&quot;Wala kaming kaalam-alam. Paalis na kami, sinabi ng anak ko na may problema sa NAIA. Nag-check ako sa Twitter and news outlets, nakita kong may problema nga talaga.&quot;Nag-check ako sa status ng flight namin sa website ng airline, doon [ko] lang nalaman na cancelled na pala ang flight. Wala kaming text o e-mail na natanggap,” he told ABS-CBN News in a Zoom interview.“Nag-try ako tumawag sa phone numbers [ng airline] sa Iloilo. Naisip kong pumunta na lang talaga sa Iloilo Airport para doon mag-rebook,” he added.Pajutagana said they were greeted at the airport by long queues of disappointed passengers hoping to have their flights rebooked.Bayan Patroller Van Ian Juada had a similar experience. Pictures he sent showed chaotic scenes at the check-in counters.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Photos courtesy of Van Ian Juada" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/01/02/01022023-photos-courtesy-of-van-ian-juada.jpg"/><figcaption>Photos courtesy of Van Ian Juada</figcaption></figure></div>&quot;Pagdating sa airport, ang haba ng pila sa labas pa lang. Magulo, kasi hindi informed ang mga pasahero. Andaming pumunta, may mga kasamang bata, may mga bagahe,&quot; Pajutagana said. &quot;Ang rebooking kasi na sa check-in counter, wala sa ticketing office sa labas.&quot;He then continued, &quot;Kino-control na ang mga taong pumapasok sa check-in area kasi puno na sa loob. Pagdating sa loob, mahaba ang pila sa counters na nag-eentertain ng rebooking.&quot;Pajutagana explained they were hoping to return to Manila before January 4, when they will be required to physically report to work. However, the earliest available flight that they got was also on the same date.&quot;Ang pinakamaaga ay January 4 ng gabi for the four of us. Tomorrow, may work na kami pero WFH (work from home) kami. Ang problem namin ay January 4 kasi we are required to report to work, so i-file pa namin iyon na leave. Ang isang anak namin na 2nd year college, mayroon siyang exam sa January 5. Wala ang notes niya, hindi siya makapag-review,” he said.He went on, “It’s unfortunate na kung kailan pa peak ng uwian at biyahe, ganito pa ang nangyari. Ang daming naperwisyo.”While some flights from Iloilo resumed on Monday, many remained canceled.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/02/23/new-year-fiasco-highlights-need-for-airport-improvements-pcci">New Year fiasco underscores need for airport upgrades: business group</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/02/23/3000-ofws-affected-by-new-years-day-aviation-crisis">At least 3,000 OFWs affected by New Year&#x27;s Day aviation crisis: DMW</a></li></ul>The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines earlier explained that the disruption was due to a problem in the Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management System’s electrical network, “with its uninterruptible power supply, which is to be used as backup power supply, also failing.”CAAP said the main cause of the power supply problem is still being determined and is subject to investigation.CAAP acknowledged that &quot;the system is already behind when it was first used in 2019 and has made recommendations to the President on improving the country’s air traffic management system.&quot;The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has also apologized to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the incident.DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the agency, CAAP, and the Manila International Airport Authority are extending assistance to affected passengers.&quot;Aside from this, DOTr directed different airline partners to provide food, refreshments, and transportation for all affected passengers, free of charge,&quot; he said.The Department of Tourism Western Visayas, meanwhile, advised passengers to coordinate with their respective airlines on the status of their flights.<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=2401514" 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>

“It’s unfortunate na kung kailan pa peak ng uwian at biyahe, ganito pa ang nangyari. Ang daming naperwisyo.”

'Ang daming naperwisyo': 3,000 passengers in Iloilo affected by NAIA outage

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'Ang daming naperwisyo': 3,000 passengers in Iloilo affected by NAIA outage

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 02, 2023 05:42 PM PHT

|

Updated Jan 03, 2023 12:59 AM PHT

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Iloilo International Airport

stranded passengers

New Year

power outage

CAAP

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