Cebu Pacific on Thursday said it teamed up with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to install mobile lightning shelters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The installation of mobile lightning shelters help strengthen Cebu Pacific’s operational resiliency and ensure the safety of passengers and airport ground personnel whenever a red lightning alert (RLA) is declared.
The airline is set to install five lightning shelters, of which two have been deployed at the terminal’s remote parking bay and one at Ramp 2.
Cebu Pacific expects to complete the installation of all lightning shelter units by the end of April.
Further, the shelters installed in strategic locations provide ramp workers with quicker access to their assigned aircraft, speeding up flight recoveries and resumptions after RLAs have cleared.
To supplement this initiative, Cebu Pacific has also provided wireless headsets for its ramp workers, ensuring their safety from potential lightning strikes and granting them greater mobility while an RLA is in place.
“Consistently ensuring safety and expressing care for our stakeholders has always been Cebu Pacific’s top priority. Our lightning shelters and wireless headsets don’t only mitigate the impact of lightning alerts on our operations, but they also help safeguard the welfare of NAIA ground personnel during the monsoon season,” Lei Apostol, Cebu Pacific vice president for Customer Service Operations, said.
“This will ultimately allow us to recover from flight delays and cancellations at a much faster rate, ensuring least disruptions to our passengers affected by red lightning alerts,” she added.
MIAA general manager Eric Ines lauded Cebu Pacific’s initiative to uphold the safety of its stakeholders ahead of the lightning season.
“These initiatives are aligned with our objective to promote ramp safety at all times. We look forward to more partnerships with Cebu Pacific,” said Ines.
RLAs are advisories issued by local airport authorities which halt all ground operations and aircraft movements at the airport. An RLA is raised when there is an expected thunderstorm five (5) kilometers and below from the aerodrome.
