THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) assured travelers that measures are in place to prevent a repeat of the New Year’s Day air traffic fiasco that affected hundreds of local and international flights amid the peak holiday travel period.
On January 1 this year, hundreds of inbound and outbound flights were put on hold for almost six hours, due to a technical problem in CAAP’s Air Traffic Management Center.â¨
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the issues that affected the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) have already been addressed to ensure that flights remain unimpeded this holiday season.
âIto naman itong CNS/ATM, yung nagre-regulate ng traffic na nagkaroon ng problema noong 2022 naisaayos na ito, na-upgrade na yung program, naibalik na yung nagma-maintain nyan,” Apolonio said.
A backup system is also on standby in case of an issue, to ensure that flights are unaffected, Apolonio said in a televised briefing.
The official also said that each of the 42 CAAP-operated airports nationwide have standby generators in case of power failure.
Meanwhile, Apolonio reported that flights during Christmas have been smooth, despite a notable increase in holiday travelers.
âSo far naging maayos naman ang paglalakbay ng ating kababayan sa 44 CAAP airports nitong December 25. Na-notice natin ang 7 to 10 percent increase compared to last year,â he said.
He added: âNagkaroon tayo ng heightened alert at nagdagdag ng personnel, alam na natin, identified na natin ang areas na maraming pasahero para ma-sustain ang kanilang pangangailangan sa mga paliparan.â (ABS-CBN News)
