CAAP airports prepared for influx of New Year flights – DOTr

Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista conducts an inspection of air traffic control systems at the compound of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). (Photo from the Department of Transportation’s Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ (CAAP) air traffic control systems are prepared for the influx of flights as 2024 rolls in, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Friday.

Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista two days before the New Year festivities inspected the CAAP’s Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) two days before New Year’s Even.

The CNS/ATM system enables aircraft to relay their locations, ensuring safe takeoffs, landings, and air traffic control.

Bautista was “assured by CAAP personnel of the efficiency of the equipment in the CNS/ATM including the redundancy of the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for the continuous operation of our air traffic control,” the DOTr said in a statement.

“All facilities of CAAP are in order, well maintained, and fully manned,” Bautista said.

According to the DOTr, he also checked the Philippine Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Center in CAAP in case of emergency operations.

On Dec. 17, CAAP placed all 45 of its commercially operating airports on heightened alert due to the expected volume of air passengers this season.

CAAP previously said that it was expecting a total of over 20.5 million passengers.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 23, Sen. Nancy Binay urged the DOTr to adequately prepare for the influx of passengers to avoid a repeat of the air travel fiasco that occurred on Jan. 1, 2023, when the entire Philippine airspace was disrupted due to a communication and navigation system issue at CAAP.