Manila airport tries to return to normal after power outage
Manila International Airport (Philippines) struggled Monday to resume all its services after a New Year’s Day power outage affected air traffic control and disrupted 300 flights.
“A failure in the primary and secondary power supply caused the blackout at Ninoy Aquino Airport, and it will take about 72 hours for airlines to normalize operations,” said Cesar Chiong, director general of the Manila International Airport Authority.
On Sunday there were 361 flights delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, affecting some 65,000 passengers.
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Chiong said the airport was handling a maximum of 15 flights per hour Monday morning, down from the usual 20.
Several of the airport’s four terminals were crowded on Monday, with long lines of people trying to rebook flights, while other tired passengers slept in chairs or on the floor, Reuters reported.
Chiong said the facility had introduced its own power system in 2018, but on Sunday, both the main and backup systems failed.
Once connected directly to normal commercial power, the systems experienced a power surge that forced equipment, including radar and communications equipment, to shut down, he said.
Joey Concepcion, a business adviser to the government, said authorities should revive the proposal to create a consortium to modernize the airport.
“Any inefficiency at the airport translates into huge business losses that are felt throughout the country,” he said in a statement.
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