The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) estimates that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will need three days to resume normal operations after the air traffic mess that caused hundreds of flight delays and cancellations on New Year's Day.
MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong said that the mishap caused the cancellation of at least 361 flights, about 40 percent of the total flights in NAIA.
"Yung naka-schedule ngayon siya yung priority doon sa flights today. Iyon mga naapektuhan i-rebook iyan ng airlines," Chiong said on Monday, January 2, during DZRH's Dos Por Dos.
(Passengers scheduled to board today are prioritized for the flights today. Those affected will be rebooked by the airlines)
"Yung mga pasahero ay binibigyan ng option ng mga airline for a refund kasi baka hindi na nila itutuloy or they will take another form of transport, o i-reschedule nila sa ibang araw kung kailan available," he added.
(Passengers are given an option by airlines to ask for a refund since some of them may no longer continue their trip, take another form of transport, or be rescheduled for a flight on another day when available)
Chiong assured that MIAA already asked airline companies to set up extra flights or upgrade their aircraft in order to accommodate more passengers.
More than 50 passengers got affected by the flight delays and cancellations on Sunday, January 1, that authorities said stemmed from technical issues in the air traffic system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
"The incident that resulted in the loss of power in the system was due to a problem in the system’s electrical network, with its uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which is to be used as backup power supply, also failing," the Department of Transportation said in a statement.
DOTr assured the public that the agency will investigate the main cause of the power supply problem.
