Minimal flight disruptions seen during airspace shutdown on May 17
THE CIVIL Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Wednesday said it expects a minimal number of flights that will be affected in two international gateways and several CAAP-operated airports during a maintenance activity on May 17.
The agency earlier announced the corrective maintenance activity scheduled on May 17 from 2:00 to 4:00 a.m.
According to CAAP, there are about 20 confirmed flights that are expected to be affected by the airspace shutdown to replace the defective uninterruptible power supply and to reconfigure the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC).
In an updated list from AirAsia Philippines on Wednesday, six flights on May 16 are expected to be affected, and eight flights on May 17.
There will be no flights affected at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, according to operator GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp.
Two flights will be affected at the Clark International Airport, according to Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp.
“This (maintenance activity) will ensure that the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system will continue to provide safe and efficient air traffic control operations,” said CAAP Deputy Director General for Operations Edgardo G. Diaz.
The ATMC power supply upgrade will involve the installation of a bypass panel to provide seamless operations and the reconfiguration of the existing power distribution panel.
“This will result in the two UPS serving as each other’s independent backup in case one power supply encounters a problem,” CAAP said.
The ATMC houses the CNS/ATM system, which manages air traffic within the Philippine Flight Information Region. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
