Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/ MANILA: The Philippines’ main airport in the capital, Manila, scrambled to resume flight services on Monday after a powerful power breakdown hit the facility on the New Year.
The power outage jolted the air traffic control and disrupted at least 300 flights.
Manila International Airport
Manila International Airport General Manager Cesar Chiong said that primary and secondary power supplies caused the power outage at the Ninoy Aquino airport. He said it could take about 72 hours for airlines to normalize their operations.
At least 361 flights were delayed, cancelled and diverted to other regional airports, affecting about 65,000 passengers, while many other flights have been rerouted around Philippine airspace.
Chiong said the facility handled a maximum of 15 flights per hour on early Monday morning, down from the usual 20 flights.
The facility has been ranked among the worst global gateways, with regular flight backlogs and a history of delayed and abandoned upgrades due to disputes between airport officials and contractors.
Country’s transport ministry ruled out sabotage but vowed to probe the facility chaos, which has renewed calls for the existing gateway to be upgraded and better operated.
President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, George Barcelon, said that the government could look at this wake-up call to improve either through private or public efforts or a joint venture.
The facility general manager Chiong said that the facility had introduced its own power system in 2018, but on Sunday, both the primary and backup systems failed.
