The Philippine air traffic management system will undergo corrective maintenance on May 3 and 17, 2023, according to Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
The maintenance will focus on repairing the automatic voltage regulator (AVR), replacing the uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and upgrading the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) A/B power supply.
The corrective maintenance is necessary to keep the ATMC’s systems in good working order and prevent power failures. It will also help to improve the efficiency of the ATMS.
May 3 Maintenance
Based on NOTAMs B1368/23, B1382/23 and B1383/23, the first maintenance will be conducted on May 3, 2023 from 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM. During this time, the Manila and Manila 2 Primary and Secondary Surveillance Radar will be unserviceable. This will affect the following:
- Departures at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will have a 3 to 5 minute delay.
- Arrivals at NAIA will be limited to one aircraft every 5 minutes.
- NAIA’s main runway 06/24 will be closed from 12:30 AM to 5:30 AM.
- NAIA’s secondary runway 13/31 will remain operational and can be used by category C aircraft and below
Philippine Airlines (PAL) released an advisory on Monday informing passengers of readjusted flight schedules in lieu of the scheduled maintenance on May 3. As of press time, 15 international and seven domestic flights have been delayed from May 2 to May 3, 2023.
May 17 Maintenance
Moreover, based on NOTAM B1433/23, the second maintenance will be conducted on May 17, 2023 from 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM. During this time, all air traffic control services within the Manila Flight Information Region (Manila FIR) will be suspended. This will affect all flights departing from, arriving at, or transiting through the Manila FIR.
Airlines are expected to coordinate with concerned agencies to ensure that their flights are not affected by the maintenance. Passengers are advised to contact their airline on the dates mentioned to check on their flight status.
On January 1, 2023, the air traffic management system suffered a critical failure that caused the closure of the Manila Flight Information Region (Manila FIR) for several hours. The failure was caused by a power outage at the air traffic control center in Pasay City.
The closure of the Manila FIR caused significant disruptions to air traffic in the Philippines. Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled, and thousands of passengers were affected.
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