Second airspace shutdown ‘seems ominous,’ says Poe

MANILA, Philippines — The second airspace shutdown this year that happened on Chinese New Year seemed “ominous” for Senator Grace Poe.

On Sunday, nine flights were affected as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) conducted maintenance procedures on its navigation system.

READ: CAAP conducts maintenance check on navigation system; 9 flights affected

“CAAP should have issued a prior announcement and rescheduled some flights. It seems obvious they were not anticipating a possible shutdown of the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) while they were doing maintenance work,” Poe said in a statement on Monday.

“This begs the question if CAAP is truly equipped to repair and recalibrate their ATM/CNS (Air Traffic Management/Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance) system without the help of a competent maintenance provider like Thales and Sumitomo. Chinese New Year pa nangyari (It really happened on Chinese New Year). It seems ominous,” she added.

The recent airspace shutdown occurred just three weeks after the New Year’s Day airport fiasco.

On January 1, hundreds of flights were affected by the supposed power outage that downed the ATM/CNS. At least 65,000 passengers were affected by the turmoil.

CAAP apologized and took full responsibility and accountability for the mess.

For Poe, CAAP is 100 percent responsible for the airport snag.

The Senate public services committee, which Poe chairs, is investigating the New Year’s Day airspace hitch.

READ: Senate starts probe into New Year’s Day air traffic control system collapse

je