Thousands Stranded At Manila Airport In Philippines As Power outage Disrupts Travel Plans

Technical issues were first detected on Sunday morning, the airport operator, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said in a statement.

The air traffic system was restored and flights resumed in late afternoon.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: Chaos erupted on New Year's Day as tens of thousands of travelers were stranded at the Manila airport due to a power outage that knocked out communication and radar equipment at the country’s busiest hub. According to AFP, the widespread electricity outage forced at least 360 flights to be cancelled, delayed or diverted.

Technical issues were first detected on Sunday morning, the airport operator, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said in a statement.

The chaos ensued when the Air Traffic Management Center, which oversees all flights in Philippine airspace, lost communication, radio, radar, and internet because of the power outage. Although there was a backup power supply, it failed to supply enough power, CNN quoted an official as saying.

The air traffic system was restored and flights resumed in the late afternoon.

In a press conference held on Sunday evening, Philippine Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista apologized for the inconvenience caused to passengers and said that the airport's central air traffic control system had suffered from a severe power outage. Although there was a backup power supply, it had failed to supply enough power, he added.

 

"This was an air traffic management system issue," Bautista said. "If you will compare (our airport) with Singapore's, for one, there is a big difference -- they are at least 10 years ahead of us," he said.

 

Senator Grace Poe of the Philippines has stated that an investigation would be launched to find out who is liable and how the incident occurred.

"What a way to welcome the new year at our country's airports," Filipino Senator Grace Poe said in an official tweet on Monday. "We will conduct an inquiry to find out who is liable and how we can avoid this from happening again."