A technical glitch at the air traffic management system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) since Sunday morning, January 1, caused a massive disruption of holiday plans of more than 65,000 passengers flying in and out of Manila’s main airport, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
A total of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, after a glitch caused Manila’s airport traffic management system to go offline for several hours on Sunday.
In a statement, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the technical glitch has affected the entire country.
“The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Airline Operators Council (AOC) are working on a recovery schedule of flights that were cancelled due to technical issues facing the air traffic management system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP),” the statement read.
“The MIAA seeks the cooperation of the air riding public at this time,” it added.
Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista in an evening news conference apologized for the inconvenience and said authorities are working to assist all affected passengers.
The air traffic system was restored in late afternoon and flights resumed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
Officials said they requested airlines to mount more flights and to upgrade to more wide-body planes to accommodate more passengers, and that full recovery is expected after 72 hours.