MIAA: New Year airport shutdown unlikely to repeat

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 26) —The operator of the country's main gateway assured the public that the technical mishap and power outage that resulted in an airport nightmare on New Year's Day is unlikely to repeat during the 'Undas' holiday.

Bryan Andersen Co, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) senior assistant general manager, said the agency changed its “critical electrical equipment” to increase the reliability of airport utilities.

“What happened with Jan. 1 is not actually an MIAA issue but rather there was an air traffic control issue that affected the entire country,” Co told a briefing on Thursday.

He said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) have “instituted changes and improvement” in the electrical systems for the air traffic control management center.

Last month, CAAP said it procured parts to upgrade its communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management system to prevent a repeat of the New Year’s Day glitch that affected over 65,000 passengers.

The hours-long shutdown of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport resulted in more than ₱100 million in losses due to canceled and delayed flights.

Thousands of passengers were affected after NAIA’s Air Traffic Management Center faced technical issues with power supply that shut down the country's airspace.