Technical personnel of an electric provider is still investigating the cause of the power outage at the Manila international airport on Labor Day, according to a representative.
In a radio interview with DZBB, Joe Zaldarriaga, vice president and spokesperson of Meralco, gave this update after the electricity at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 went out on May 1.
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“Inaalam pa sa ngayon. Syempre may mga initial pero I’d rather na intayin natin yung final na findings no,” Zaldarriaga said.
“Ang concern is to restore power at the soonest possible time para ma-normalize yung operations,” he also continued, adding that the assessment of the cause will come later.
Zaldarriaga also said that Meralco earlier dispatched its crew and coordinated with NAIA’s engineering department to provide assistance to airport authorities on the ground.
The Meralco exec said that he received positive feedback from them.
“Nakakuha ako ng feedback na hopefully hindi magtatagal maiubabalik na yung main power,” the executive said.
Moreover, he also said that they found no issues with the Meralco facilities near the affected terminal.
“Wala namang isyu sa iba namang lugar,” Zaldarriaga said.
Passengers reported power outage at the NAIA Terminal 3 early on Monday morning.
This caused massive disruptions in airport operations, including cancelation of inbound and outbound flights.
Reports soon reached the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
In an update, it confirmed that the terminal experienced a power failure at 1:05 a.m. on that day.
As of posting, the MIAA said that Terminal 3 is still running on standby power to critical facilities and equipment.
These include computer systems of airlines and immigration counters to process the information of both inbound and outbound passengers.
MIAA also uploaded a list of a total of 40 canceled flights due to this electricity-related fiasco.
Impact on the passengers
Passengers took to social media to air their complaints about the sudden inconveniences they faced due to the outage.
Their posts include the following:
- Delayed flights
- Several air-conditioning units stopped working amid the hot weather
- Technical glitches in elevators, escalators, check-in baggage conveyor belts, and other important facilities
- Longer waiting time for passengers
Several news outlets also reported photos and videos that showed long queues of passengers at check-in counters at the departure area of the NAIA Terminal 3.
Mahaba ang pila sa check-in counters ng Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 matapos magka-brownout sa paliparan kaninang madaling araw, May 1. Maraming flights ang naantala at kanselado dahil sa nangyaring power outage. #News5 | via Gio Robles pic.twitter.com/41lMpbjyVu
— News5 (@News5PH) May 1, 2023
In a statement, the MIAA apologized to the travelers for experiencing these issues on a Monday morning.
“The MIAA Management apologizes to air travelers for the inconvenience that the situation may have brought them. Further advisories will be issued in the subsequent hours,” the airport authority said.
It also said that its operations personnel are providing assistance to the affected passengers and responding to their inquiries about the matter.
NAIA Terminal 3 serves passengers for both domestic and international travel.
As of writing, the number of affected travelers has yet to be determined.
There were also no reports about other NAIA terminals and airports facing similar problems with their electrical supply.
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