Thousands of passengers were affected by the power interruption occurred late Friday night at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport – Terminal 3.
The brownout disrupted airport operations as the airlines had to resort to manual check-in and loading of baggage while processing of passengers at immigration booths took longer than usual.
The Manila International Airport Authority apologized to air travelers and other stakeholders for the disruption due to the power outage that began around 11 p.m. until early morning Saturday.
“The MIAA together with Manila Electric Company (Meralco) conducted a joint probe to determine the cause of the problem which was traced to the Terminal 3 power substation,” the MIAA management said in a statement.
As of 6 a.m. Saturday, electricity in all areas of the terminal has been restored, it added.
The MIAA – Media Affairs Division reported that 16 international and 15 domestic flights were affected by the disruption.
Those affected included flights from Manila to Davao, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, Roxas, and Zamboanga; and to Manila from Cebu and Davao.
The international flights affected were those going to Dubai, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Istanbul, Singapore, and Nagoya; and those
coming from Osaka, Denpasar, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Dubai.
In a separate statement, the Cebu Air Pacific (CEB) management stated that the electricity has been restored at the Terminal 3 and the operations returned to normal on Saturday
“As we recover from the power outage and as the situation begins to normalize, please expect delays in some of our flights as we manage the situation. CEB will provide an update as soon as more information becomes available. We appeal for your patience and understanding,” the airline management stated.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and MIAA General Manager Cesar Chiong, who inspected the terminal early Saturday morning, assured the public that action is now being undertaken to prevent recurrence of the incident.
Meralco received a report at around 11:26 pm on September 16 regarding a power outage at NAIA Terminal 3.
Meralco crew and leaders immediately responded to ensure the immediate restoration of electricity at the site.
Based on the results of the investigation, there was no problem with Meralco facilities, and it was found that the issue involved the loadside facility of the terminal.
Meralco crew remained on site to assist the airport engineers while doing repairs and restoration work in the facility.
Based on the latest report, power has been restored to the essential facilities at NAIA Terminal 3.