Senate to conduct inquiry on air traffic control system glitch
Passengers wait for information about their flights at terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila on January 1, 2023. – Thousands of travelers were stranded at Philippine airports on January 1 after a “loss of communication” at the country’s busiest hub in Manila forced hundreds of flights to be canceled, delayed or diverted. (Photo by KEVIN TRISTAN ESPIRITU / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe on Monday announced that the Senate would investigate the recent hiccup with the nation’s air traffic control system, which delayed hundreds of domestic and international flights on New Year’s Day.
“Give them time to restore normal flight operations. After which, we will conduct an inquiry and direct them to submit a full report of what caused the supposed glitch and power outage,” Poe said in a statement.
On Sunday, hundreds of flights were delayed, canceled, or diverted to other airports, affecting over 56,000 passengers scheduled to arrive at or depart from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other airports across the country.
According to Poe, power distributor Meralco said there was a steady power supply from their end.
“The failure then points to CAAP and their navigation equipment,” she said.
Article continues after this advertisementPoe said there should be transparency and accountability from CAAP as thousands of people depend on their capability.
Article continues after this advertisement“This is a national security concern. Thousands of lives depend on the efficiency and competence of CAAP. There needs to be transparency and accountability from CAAP, ” Poe added.
“We will, therefore, conduct a hearing as part of the Senate’s oversight function to determine who is liable and what we need to do to avoid the malfunction from happening again.”
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Capt. Manuel Tamayo said that it was the power supply of the Air Traffic Management Center Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management that had failed and caused damage to key components.
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