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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. apologized Friday for the shutdown of the entire Philippine airspace on New Year’s Day
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He also ordered the fast track procurement of a back-up system
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A severe power outage on the country’s air traffic management system caused the airspace fiasco, which disrupted thousands of flights and affected 56,000 passengers
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday apologized for the shutdown of the entire Philippine airspace on New Year’s Day following the malfunction of the air traffic management system, even as he ordered the fast track procurement of back-up equipment.
The incident caused massive flight disruptions – with no flights coming into and going out of the Philippines from 10am to 4pm – and affecting at least 56,000 passengers.
Marcos issued the apology as he inspected Ninoy Aquino International Terminal 3, five days after the shutdown.
“I’m sorry. Of course, we have to apologize to our kababayans, especially those who came from abroad. Limitado ang kanilang bakasyon. Nawala iyong dalawa o tatlong araw eh. Alam naman natin, very valuable sa Filipino iyong mga Christmas holiday. Kaya kami’y humihingi ng inyong paumanhin at gagawin namin ang lahat nang hindi na maulit ito (Their vacation has been cut short by one or two days. And we know how important the Christmas holiday is to Filipinos. We apologize and we’ll do everything we can so the incident doesn’t happen again),” he said.
“Considering how big the problem was, I think our airport authorities, our Cabinet secretaries … have done a reasonably good time and six hours was rather a short time considering how much needed to be done to get the system back up in working condition,” he added.
Marcos instructed the Department of Transportation to fast track procurement of equipment and a “proper backup system” but noted the procurement might take a “little time”. Airport authorities earlier pointed to the failure of both the main and backup uninterrupted power supply as the culprit for the airspace mess.
“We are planning already for future redundancies for the system,” Marcos said.
Running smoothly
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines deputy director general for operations Edgardo Diaz on January 5 said the communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system is now “running smoothly” and contigency procedures are now in place.
CAAP’s Aerodrome and Air Navigation Safety Oversight Office (AANSOO) has been tasked to investigate the airspace shutdown. AANSOO is composed of CAAP technical personnel such as aerodrome engineers, electrical and communication engineers, Air traffic controllers, pilots and a lawyer.
Diaz said “material failure” is seen as the most likely cause of the incident and that the UPS, which did not go online as it was supposed to during the power outage, is “now the center” of the investigation.
He noted, however, that they are not ruling out other possibilities such as sabotage, cybercrime, and negligence.
Diaz said when they assumed office last year, CAAP officials have already informed Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista of the need for a new CNS/ATM system or a backup system, noting that the existing system “could be a potential problem.”
CAAP acting director general Antonio Manuel Tamayo has described the CNS/ATM system as “outdated”.
Bautista also said they have already informed Marcos of the need for a backup system.
Various agencies have agreed in a January 3 briefing that an upgrade of CAAP’s existing facilities and replacement of affected equipment is the immediate course of action.
Meanwhile, Diaz said they are ready for a Senate inquiry into the January 1 air traffic control technical glitch.
The Senate Committee on Public Services will start the inquiry on Jan. 12, Senator Grace Poe announced earlier.
San Jose del Monte City Representative Florida Robes also filed a resolution asking the House leadership to direct the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to conduct an inquiry on malfunction.
Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera, for her part, said the recent air traffic system fiasco affected not just passengers but also several tons of cargo, incoming and outgoing, which would have lingering effects on businesses and the economy.
The Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG), meantime, directed CAAP to submit a report on the circumstances surrounding the incident. CAAP is a government-owned and operated corporation (GOCC) that is under the jurisdiction of the GCG.
CAAP’s CNS/ATM, which was completed in 2017 and inaugurated in January 2018, is a state-of-the art computer and satellite-based air traffic management technology similar to those in use in Australia, Taiwan, and European countries. It started comprehensive operations in July 2019.
The CNS/ATM project started in 2009 but due to delay in construction and other challenges, it did not hit its target completion date in 2016.
The project was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency for JPY22 million (US$198 million) and includes a central traffic control complex housed in the CAAP office in Manila. – Roumina Pablo
