Dozens of flights were cancelled and several more delayed on Labor Day as a power outage disrupted operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 early on May 1.
The power outage comes exactly four months after a power outage and technical malfunction hit the NAIA, stalling hundreds of flights for several days, stranding thousands of holiday travelers, and causing hundreds of millions in damages.
The Manila International Airport Authority said standby power is now supplying electricity to terminal 3’s “critical facilities enabling computer systems of airlines and immigration to function partially. As a result, delayed flights shall be expected,” it added.
MIAA has apologized to travelers for the inconvenience.
Cebu Pacific, the largest budget carrier in the Philippines, has advised that 40 domestic flights departing and arriving at NAIA 3 on May 1 had been cancelled.
MIAA’s flight information site lists 200 domestic and international flights arriving and leaving terminal 3 on Labor Day.
Aside from Cebu Pacific, a couple of domestic carriers and several international airlines use NAIA terminal 3, which could handle 13 million passengers a year.
Manila Electric Co. said it is now assisting airport authorities to immediately restore normal power supply to the airport terminal. It said the outage happened around 1:05 am and “initial inspection of the load side pointed to a main breaker problem.”
