- Flights to and from Manila are on hold today (Jan 1) due to technical issues at air navigation facilities of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
- Both domestic and international flights are affected
- CAAP has in place emergency protocols to enable flight operations to resume as soon as possible
- A MIAA Crisis Management Team has also been activated
- Flight departures and arrivals will be retimed to new schedules
Flights to and from Manila are on hold on the first day of the year due to technical issues at air navigation facilities of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said in a statement.
Both domestic and international flights are affected.
Cebu Pacific in a statement said “the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) is currently experiencing power outage and loss of communication which are affecting all operations.”
For its part, PAL said flights will need to be delayed or diverted.
“This is a temporary situation, and we will take all necessary steps to restore normal schedules and bring diverted flights back to their original destination as soon as possible,” it explained.
The airline added it is coordinating with aviation authorities on the adjustment of flight schedules and clearances.
PAL advised travelers whose flights are canceled not to proceed to the airport and instead avail of rebooking options.
MIAA apologized for the delays and said “CAAP is now putting in place emergency protocols to address the situation to enable flight operations to resume as soon as possible.”
In addition, the MIAA Crisis Management Team has “been activated bringing together key aviation and airport agencies for a multi-discipline approach to cushion the impact of the incident.”
MIAA said flight departures and arrivals will be retimed to new schedules.
In the meantime, passengers were advised to stay inside the terminals and await airline announcements.
The MIAA Emergency Response Teams have been ordered to implement SOPs in line with the MIAA Manual on Irregular Operations.
MIAA said airline operators have initiated their respective contingency measures to mitigate the effect of the situation on passengers.
The rights of passengers under the Air Passenger Bill of Rights will be upheld under the circumstances, MIAA said.
Updated on Jan 1, 2023, 3:34pm, to include statements of Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines.
