Business and gov’t execs, netizens lament New Year air traffic system glitch

Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Image from miaa.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines — A number of air travelers — including elected officials, businessmen and netizens have denounced the technical glitch that hounded the country’s air traffic system and grounded hundreds of domestic and international flights on New Year’s day.

In a tweet on Saturday, just after the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) confirmed that all flights inbound and outbound of the country are either canceled, delayed, or diverted, businessman Manny Pangilinan said such problems cause big losses for the country’s economy.

Pangilinan was referring to the glitch that crippled the country’s air traffic management system managed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

“We’re told radar and navigation facilities at NAIA down.I was on my way home from Tokyo – 3 hours into the flight, but had to return to Haneda. 6 hours of useless flying but inconvenience to travelers and losses to tourism and business are horrendous. Only in the PH. Sigh,” Pangilinan said in a tweet.

https://twitter.com/iamMVP/status/1609457082419544064

Senator JV Ejercito lamented that the whole Philippine airspace system bogging down is not the way to start 2023.

“What a way to start the new year, CAAP Air Traffic Management System bogged down.  All flights in & out of NAIA on hold,” he said.

Senator Grace Poe, meanwhile, said that the technical issues show the need for contingency plans and the need to address transportation woes.

Similarly, she also said that having this problem is not the way to welcome the New Year.

“The ongoing cancellation of all inbound and outbound flights in the NAIA today shows the need for multiple contingency plans and the immediate rollout of assistance to all stranded passengers for any disruptions,” she said.

“Hindi pwedeng nagkukumahog tayo kapag galit na galit na ang mga pasahero. What a way to start the year. Wala pang isang buwan nang magsalita ako tungkol sa lagay ng air transportation sa bansa, but we’re now adding another problem to the list instead of striking them off,” she added.

Some netizens said top government officials should help handle the situation.

“NAIA is the gateway to the Philippines. We better ask #NasaanAngPangulo because this is a national issue that needs to be addressed immediately. We need the President President not the vlogger President,” weather specialist Tacio Basconcillo said.

NAIA is the gateway to the Philippines. We better ask #NasaanAngPangulo because this is a national issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

We need the President President not the vlogger President.

— Tacio Basconcillo  (@jejudohallabong) January 1, 2023

Still others found an opportunity to link memes to the timing of technical glitches.

https://twitter.com/JamWithLeo/status/1609422123516428288

As of 4:00 p.m., the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said that the problem has been partially resolved, resulting in limited flight operations.

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, MIAA said they and the Airline Operators Council (AOC) “are working on a recovery schedule of flights” which were canceled due to the technical issues faced by CAAP.

However, at least 282 flights have been either delayed, cancelled, or diverted to other regional airports and ports abroad.

This translates to over 56,000 affected passengers who were supposed to depart from or arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

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