The SUN HK : Air traffic management system glitch shuts down Philippine skies

Air traffic after Philippine shutdown. (Flightradar24 photo)

The skies over the Philippines were cleared of all air traffic for five hours today after the country’s air traffic management system conked out, resulting in 282 domestic and international flights being cancelled, delayed or diverted and affecting some 56,000 passengers.

The incident was first detected at 10am, when a power failure caused a shutdown of the system, the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines said.

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But Meralco said: “There were no trouble or issues affecting Meralco distribution facilities and no power outage or fluctuation was likewise monitored or reported as far as Meralco's power lines and facilities are concerned.”

By the time CAAP partially put the system back on at around 4pm, 268 flights had been cancelled, seven diverted to nearby airports and seven delayed—most of them domestic routes.

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As crowds built up in airports across the country, airlines were directed to “provide food, refreshments, transportation, lodging, and accommodation for all affected passengers, free of charge,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said in a statement.

Among those affected were passengers bound for Hong Kong.

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Former Labor Attache Bernardino Julve said: “My daughter-in-law and my grandchildren were able to leave on CebPac 5J114 flight to HKG at 1740H… after some hours of anxiety at the terminal.”

Bing Maliwat, who was returning to Hong Kong with his two children on a Cathay Pacific flight scheduled for 12:30pm, said they were able to take off five hours later. “They were promising every hour that we would leave soon, until it finally happened at 5:30pm,” he said.

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“Nagpakain naman sila near the gate,” he added. The meal consisted of pandesal chicken sandwich and dried mango.

It turned out they were more fortunate, because two other flights to Hong Kong were cancelled: Cebu Pacific’s 5J112 and Philippine Airlines’ PR 306.

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The most high profile of the affected passengers was Manny V. Pangilinan, managing director of the First Pacific Group which owns PLDT, Smart and other well-known companies.

“We’re told radar and navigation facilities are NAIA are 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 travellers and losses to tourism and business are horrendous. Only in the (Philippines),” he said.

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CAA was quick to issue a public statement apologizing for the incident.

“We are now adressing the (technical) issues for safety concern,” it said.

“The safety of the passenger is the priority of the agency and it is better to secure the aircraft of the ground to avoid any airborne accident,” it added.

Passengers wait anxiously wait for updates at NAIA's Terminal 1. (Rappler Photo)

But Marites Danguilan Vitug, a veteran journalist, said in a Facebook post:

“Questions on the ‘power outage’ that led to the epic failure in our aviation radar and navigation facilities-stranding thousands of passengers, diverting incoming flights, delaying outgoing flights, etc: