NAIA Terminal 3 aircon system suffers malfunction

Air travelers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 have to bear with the heat amid the long weekend break after its air-conditioning unit malfunctioned, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said Friday.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, MIAA spokesperson Chris Noel Bendijo said three aircon chillers are currently being "worked on" after one of them failed to function properly, which affected the cooling system of the terminal.

"Tino-troubleshoot natin kasi kahapon na-monitor ng ating engineering na tumataas 'yung temperatura habang nag-o-operate ang ating chiller," Bendijo said.

(We are currently troubleshooting the problem because our engineering team yesterday monitored that the temperature was rising while our filler was operating.)

"Delikado kapag hinayaan natin kaya nag-decide ang ating General Manager na si Eric Ines na i-temporarily i-shut down muna ito at inspeksiyunin," he added.

(It's dangerous if we just ignore it, so our General Manager Eric Ines decided to temporarily shut it down and order an inspection.)

Meanwhile in an advisory, the MIAA said high operational temperature were observed in Chillers 1, 2, and 4 since Thursday.

"As a precautionary and necessary measure to prevent potential major damage to the entire cooling system, MIAA was constrained to temporarily shut down the chillers to determine the cause of the problem. Descaling, cleaning, and swabbing procedures were also conducted on the affected chillers to ensure optimal operational conditions," it said.

Airport authorities are now also cleaning the unit, Bendijo said, as he appealed for understanding of affected passengers.

Bendijo urged airport passengers to wear light clothes, bring fans, and hydrate themselves as repair works on the air conditioning unit were still ongoing as of posting time.

The MIAA is also set to deploy additional cooling fans at the airport.

Bendijo said repair works might be completed by Saturday morning.

"Medyo may katagalan, sa initial report ng ating engineering, baka po abutin pa ito ng tomorrow morning. But kausap po natin ang ating contractor, we're trying to expedite everything," he said.

(It will take a while, according to the initial report of our engineering team. It might last until tomorrow morning. But we are talking to our contractor, we're trying to expedite everything.)

"Naiintidihan namin na ang sama po talaga ng timing dahil long weekend pa nga po, hindi po namin puwede hayaan nang ganu'n dahil delikado kapag tumataas 'yung temperature ng ating fillers," he said.

(We understand that the timing is really bad because it's a long weekend, but we cannot let that happen because it's dangerous when the temperature of our fillers rises.)

“The MIAA understands that this may cause temporary inconvenience for passengers, employees, and all partners, and is working diligently to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible.  While troubleshooting activities are expected to be completed tomorrow morning, improved temperature levels may be anticipated by noontime,” MIAA said in its advisory.

The air conditioning system at Terminal 3 was also temporarily shut down for 12 hours last month, inconveniencing passengers and visitors at the gateway who bemoaned the sweltering "Saudi-like" temperatures. — VDV/AOL, GMA Integrated News