CAAP oversight office probing power supply problem that closed Philippine airspace

The power supply problem which effectively closed down the Philippine airspace on New Year’s Day is now being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ (CAAP) Aerodrome and Air Navigation Safety Oversight Office (AANSOO).

In a statement released by the CAAP on Monday, the agency said the power outage at its Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) on Sunday was due to issues in the system’s electrical network.

“The main cause of the power supply problem is still being determined and is subject for investigation. The CAAP’s Aerodrome and Air Navigation Safety Oversight Office (AANSOO) will be tasked to investigate the incident,” it said.

Sought for more details, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the AANSOO is an existing office in line with the functions of the CAAP as a regulator and oversight authority for air navigation and traffic services.

It is made up of technical personnel from the CAAP itself, including aerodrome engineers, electrical and communication engineers, air traffic controllers, pilots, and a lawyer.

The CAAP on Sunday, January 1, recorded a technical issue at the ATMC, affecting some 56,000 passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. At least 282 flights were canceled, diverted, or delayed.

CAAP Director General Manuel Tamayo said one of the uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) failed at around 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, and troubleshooting activities had to be done. Backup systems were not immediately available.

Once the system was reconnected to the power supply, however, warnings were released at around lunch time due to over voltage as 380 volts were coming in instead of 220 volts.

This then affected the very small aperture terminal (VSAT) which also had to be addressed. The system was partially restored at 4 p.m. on Sunday, and normal operations resumed at 5:50 p.m.

“CAAP recognizes that the system is already behind when it was first used in 2019 and has made recommendations to the President on improving the country’s air traffic management system,” the CAAP said.

“As we continue to work to guarantee the safe return of normal flight operations, the Authority would also like to apologize and thank affected passengers for their patience in this unfortunate event,” it added.

A number of flights on Monday, January 2, however, remained canceled due to the technical issue which hit the ATMC. —KG, GMA Integrated News