NAIA T3 back to normal operations following three-hour power maintenance activity

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 29) — The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 resumed normal operations early Wednesday morning after a successful electrical maintenance activity, authorities said.

According to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), the repairs were done from midnight to 3 a.m., which included the upgrading of power cables, replacement of medium voltage circuit breakers and relays, and optimization of protection settings.

Only vital systems, including check-in, immigration, security screening, baggage handling, and runway operations, were powered by generator sets. Majority of the air-conditioning systems were turned off.

The MIAA said more maintenance activities will be carried out until Dec. 13 but will only affect portions of Terminal 3. It added that their schedule will be announced in the coming days.

These activities are part of efforts to improve the airport’s electrical system reliability following the May 1 power outage that lasted for almost eight hours and affected over 9,000 passengers.

The current back-up power system can only support 30% of NAIA Terminal 3's electrical load.

Plans to lease more generator sets to support the entire power requirements of the terminal during power outages have failed after a number of bids fell through.

The procurement law states that a negotiated procurement may be done after two failed biddings.