The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will conduct a “corrective maintenance” activity at the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) on May 3 and 17, 2023.
The CAAP will issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and will inform the public of the corrective maintenance activity, which 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.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said that 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 and a UPS ensures equipment has uninterruptible power supply.
Apolonio said that the corrective maintenance activity will include the operations at the ATMC and will be suspended from 02:00 AM until 04:00 AM on May 3, 2023 and 12:00 MN until 6:00 AM on May 17, 2023. However, if the activity is finished earlier, the issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) will be lifted, and operations at the ATMC will resume as normal.
The corrective maintenance activity will mainly affect flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Clark International Airport (CRK), and Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MIAA), 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 Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD), and GMR–Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) 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 imperative maintenance activity.
The CAAP assures the public that once the maintenance activity is completed, operations at the ATMC will resume as 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 is doing the necessary upgrading so as not to repeat the same mistakes when the ATMC bogged down paralyzing the aviation industry last January 1, 2023.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes