The government’s Air Traffic Management Center experienced technical problems affecting operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday, civil aviation officials said.
The computer glitch also caused the delays of 81 flights.
The glitch, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, resulted in reduced arrival and departing rate of aircraft for about 30 minutes.
Manila International Airport Authority’s operations personnel said at least 81 flights —30 arriving and 51 departing flights—from the four NAIA terminals were delayed due to the system malfunction.
CAAP chief information officer and spokesman Eric Apolonio said the incident entailed contingency standard procedures “which will space out flight sequences while maintaining safe control of air traffic flow throughout.”
“We have already coordinated with the airlines as well as relevant authorities who are now addressing the issue. An investigation is likewise ongoing to determine the cause of the incident. Updates will be provided once available,” he said.
The country’s aviation regulator also appealed the public for patience and understanding as they work “towards normalizing our operations as soon as possible.”
“We assure the riding public our continued commitment to their safety and convenience and above all the safety of our flights,” the CAAP said.
Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management transition manager Antonio Gonzales said the Air Traffic Management Center operations went back to normal after it was resolved in about 30 minutes.
“Air traffic spacing has eased up gradually until reverting to the usual spacing of 20 arrivals per hour or 40 movements per hour,” the CAAP said in a statement.
“By 1 p.m. today, there were no more aircraft put on hold at the NAIA, a proof that our ATMC personnel were able to efficiently handle the glitch. The ATMC expects that the Air Traffic Flow control is are now stable and is back to normal operations,” it added.
Last year, the Manila and Clark airspace radar approach control service was successfully transferred to the new ATMC. In April 2019, the Davao airspace radar approach control service is set to be transferred to the new ATMC as well, completing the transition of approach facilities to the new ATMC.