MANILA, Philippines—Five air traffic controllers at the Zamboanga City airport who were late or absent from work the day after Christmas, forcing planes to stay in the air because they could not land, have been suspended, civil aviation officials said Saturday.

A Philippine Airlines jet from Manila with 156 passengers arrived early Friday morning at the airport but was forced to circle for nearly 30 minutes before it could land, Ramon Atilano, PAL Zamboanga manager, told The Associated Press.

A smaller Cebu Pacific airline turbo prop from Cebu City that arrived minutes ahead of the PAL flight was forced to land on its own, said Zamboanga airport manager Celso Bayabos.

Bayabos said the tower was not manned for 40 minutes.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said it had suspended the five and ordered an investigation into the incident. Those found liable could face administrative sanctions, it said.

It was unclear if they would also face criminal charges.

Bayabos said two of the controllers were absent without notice on Friday, two came in late, and one had filed a leave approved by her supervisor, but the notice did not reach the airport administration office.

The tardy air controllers explained they had difficulty getting a ride to work because public transportation was scarce the day after Christmas.

‘Lesson for us’

But Bayabos said they were apparently still in holiday mode.

“They got their bonus before Dec. 24 and it was possible they were enjoying Christmas with their families,” he said.

Caap Deputy Director for Operations Daniel Dimagiba said the agency would investigate the controllers for not being at their work stations 10 to 15 minutes before the start of their 6 a.m. shift as required.

“It was a lesson for us. It’s the first time in our history that no people were on duty. It was a good thing there were no untoward incidents,” Dimagiba said in a telephone interview.

Admitting “laxity” on the part of airport personnel, Dimagiba apologized to the airlines and passengers who became worried when their planes were forced to hover above the city longer than usual.

“There is no alibi; it was our responsibility,” said Dimagiba.

As for the errant air traffic controllers, he said, “They could be replaced. It will depend on their administrative performance, according to civil service rules.”

Dimagiba said Caap officials will meet with Zamboanga airport personnel in the first week of January to come up with measures to prevent a repeat of the incident.

AP, with a report from Kristine L. Alave