Local and foreign carriers operating at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) will adjust their flight schedules to give way to the scheduled maintenance work of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) radar system.
Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific (CEB) and AirAsia Philippines and other local carriers, including some international carriers operating at Naia terminals will adjust their international and domestic flight departure and arrival schedules starting Tuesday to give way to the maintenance work on their radar system that will start today, Wednesday, May 3 and on May 17, 2023.
PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna, CEB Corporate Communication head Carmina Romero and Steve Dailisan, head of AirAsia Corporate said they will provide updates, as necessary, through their website and Facebook pages.
“There will be some expected adjustment on flight schedules, some will be earlier and some will be delayed for about 30 minutes to two hours to give way for the government’s scheduled works on radar systems,” they said.
“We seek your kind understanding as the airline works with the authorities to minimize the impact on our customers. The government is undertaking this preventive maintenance work as part of a permanent upgrading and improvement of the country’s air navigational radar systems,” they added.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said CAAP issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and will inform the public that a corrective maintenance activity will be conducted at the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) on May 3 and 17, 2023 as the corrective maintenance activity is necessary to repair the Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR), the replacement of the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), and the upgrading of the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) A/B power supply.
Apolonio said the facility houses the Communications, Navigations, Surveillance /Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system which manages and supervises the air traffic activities within the Philippine Flight Information Region (FIR).
The ATMS power supply upgrade will involve the installation of a bypass panel to provide seamless ATMS operation and the reconfiguration of the existing distribution panel to segregate ATM system A (voice) and ATM system B (data), resulting with the UPS and AVR serving as each other’s backup in case the other power supply encounters a problem.
An AVR functions as a protection against surges as it regulates the voltage delivered to devices, while a UPS ensures uninterruptible power supply.
Apolonio said the corrective maintenance activity will include the operations at the ATMC and will be suspended from 02:00 a.m. until 04:00 a.m. on May 3, 2023 and 12:00 midnight until 6:00 a.m. on May 17, 2023. However, if the activity is completed earlier, the issued NOTAM will be lifted, and operations at the ATMC will resume to normal.
The corrective maintenance activity will mainly affect flights at the Naia, Clark International Airport, and Mactan-Cebu International Airport, and several flights at the other 42 CAAP commercially operated airports.
The CAAP has already coordinated with and advised concerned stakeholders such as air carriers and airport operators at the Manila International Airport Authority, Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD), and GMR–Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation in advance regarding the intended corrective maintenance activity. Mitigating measures and flight schedule adjustments have been discussed with stakeholders to ensure the smooth conduct of the maintenance activity.
The CAAP assured the public that once the maintenance activity is completed, operations at the ATMC will resume to normal and will allow CAAP-ATMC to serve the flying public better and ensure continued flight safety.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation in ensuring the safety and efficiency of our air traffic management system,” CAAP said. -30-