The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said a technical problem was the cause of delays or cancellations of more than 50 flights causing major disruptions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) that affected an estimated 9,000 travelers.
In a statement released late Monday evening, the CAAP said the issue stemmed from a glitch in their Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System’s Flight Data Processing System (FDPS) at around 11:30 AM.
This critical component, which processes flight plans and other essential data, failed to transmit information to controller workstations, significantly impacting air traffic flow in and out of Manila.
The CAAP said it quickly coordinated with its solution provider to diagnose the problem and received remote support.
Despite the glitch, all communication, navigation, and surveillance equipment remained fully operational. To ensure public safety, CAAP implemented contingency procedures, including longer flight separations of about 10 minutes.
CAAP noted that its Air Traffic Service (ATS) executed a contingency plan to mitigate risks and ensure safety. They resorted to manual data transmission using paper strips and imposed flow control due to reduced sector capacity.
By 3:00 PM on Monday, the disruption had affected 56 flights, including at least 20 international flights at NAIA terminals 1 and 3, as reported by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) alone canceled 26 flights, impacting routes to and from Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, Siargao, Boracay, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban, Hanoi, and Jakarta.
MIAA General Manager Eric Ines directed terminal managers to provide additional seating and implement measures from the Irregular Operations (IROPS) Manual, including the distribution of Malasakit Kits to affected passengers.
“MIAA has kept the NAIA runways open 24/7 for airline flight recovery operations,” Ines stated.
This incident follows a major shutdown on January 1, 2023, when a power failure at the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) affected over 360 flights and 65,000 passengers.
CAAP reassured the public that ongoing upgrades to the CNS-ATM system would prevent similar issues in the future. The improvements include replacing old uninterruptible power supplies with new ones, installing a new automatic voltage regulator (AVR), and upgrading the power system at the ATMC.
“Once the CNS-ATM upgrade is completed, its enhanced self-detection capabilities will prevent future incidents,” the CAAP said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline CAAP explains technical glitch that disrupted flights of over 9K passengers