On Sunday, nearly 300 domestic and international flights at the Manila airport in the Philippines were disrupted due to a power outage that affected air traffic operations. The incident caused inconvenience for over 65,000 passengers during the New Year holiday. Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista apologized for the disruption and stated that authorities are working to assist all affected passengers. The issue began in the morning when the Air Traffic Management Center, which is responsible for overseeing all flights in Philippine airspace, lost communication, radio, radar, and internet due to the power outage. The air traffic system was restored in the late afternoon, and flights resumed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. Officials expect full recovery within 72 hours and have requested that airlines mount additional flights and upgrade to wider planes to accommodate more passengers.
Tycoon Manny Pangilinan, chairman of telecommunication company PLDT, was one such traveler who was affected by the power outage. Pangilinan was on his way to Manila from Tokyo when the incident occurred and was forced to return to Haneda after three hours of flying. He tweeted about the disruption, stating that the inconvenience to travelers and losses to tourism and business were “horrendous.”
Despite the initial disruption, the air traffic system was eventually restored in the late afternoon, and flights resumed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. Officials have requested that airlines mount additional flights and upgrade to wider planes in order to accommodate more passengers and facilitate a full recovery, which is expected to take place within 72 hours. It is hoped that these measures will help alleviate some of the inconvenience caused by the power outage and allow for a smoother return to normal operations.
