New Years disruptions at Manila airport due to power outages

• A power outage on January 1 that halted air traffic control caused the delay, cancellation or diversion of some 300 domestic and international flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila
• ransportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautist apologized for the inconvenience, stressing that authorities are working to assist all affected passengers
• The issue began when a power outage caused the Air Traffic Management Center, which oversees all flights in Philippine airspace, to lose communication, radio, radar and internet access

MANILA, Philippines: A power outage on January 1 that halted air traffic control caused the delay, cancellation or diversion of some 300 domestic and international flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines.

In a news conference following the incident, Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautist apologized for the inconvenience, stressing that authorities are working to assist all affected passengers.

The issue began when a power outage caused the Air Traffic Management Center, which oversees all flights in Philippine airspace, to lose communication, radio, radar and internet access, he said.

The air traffic system was restored in late afternoon and flights resumed at Manila airport, while a full recovery was expected within 72 hours.

Some travelers, including tycoon Manny Pangilinan, chairman of the telecommunication company PLDT who was traveling back to Manila from Tokyo, were outraged by the incident.

“We are told radar and navigation facilities at NAIA are down. I was on my way home from Tokyo, three hours into the flight, but had to return to Haneda. Six hours of useless flying, but an inconvenience to travelers and losses to tourism and business are horrendous,” he tweeted.