The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) will conduct on May 3 and 17 a “corrective maintenance activity” at the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) that may affect operations of major airports, particularly the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The CAAP described the activity as a “preemptive measure to prevent the repeat of New Year’s Day shutdown of the country’s airspace.” “Due to this corrective maintenance activity, the operations at the ATMC will be suspended from 02:00 AM until 04:00 AM on 3 May 2023 and 12:00 MN until 6:00 AM on 17 May 2023,” the CAAP stated in its advisory issued on Friday.
The agency urged airline operators to make the necessary adjustments on flight schedules, especially on May 17 when the corrective maintenance activity is scheduled from 12 midnight up to six in the morning.
“There would be no problem on May 3 activity because the airport is closed and not operating during that period,” CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio told Manila Standard.
Apolonio was referring to the daily maintenance closure of NAIA’s runway which is from 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.
The corrective maintenance include the repair of Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR), replace the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), and upgrade the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) A/B power supply.
The ATMC houses the Communications, Navigations, Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system which manages and supervises the air traffic activities within the Philippine Flight Information Region (FIR).
“The ATMS power supply upgrade will involve the installation of a bypass panel to provide seamless ATMS operation and the reconfiguration of the existing distribution panel to segregate ATM system A (voice) and ATM system B (data), resulting with the UPS and AVR serving as each other’s backup in case the other power supply encounters a problem,” said Apolonio.
An AVR functions as a protection against surges as it regulates the voltage delivered to devices and a UPS ensures equipment has uninterruptible power supply.
“Due to the corrective maintenance activity, the operations at the ATMC will be suspended from 02:00 AM until 04:00 AM on 3 May 2023 and 12:00 MN until 6:00 AM on 17 May 2023,” said Apolonio.
“However, if the activity is finished earlier, the issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) will be lifted, and operations at the ATMC will resume as normal,” he added.
The maintenance activity, according to CAAP, will mainly affect flights at the NAIA), the Clark International Airport (CRK), and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MIAA), and several flights at the other 42 CAAP commercially operated airports.
The CAAP has already coordinated with and advised concerned stakeholders such as air carriers and airport operators Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD), and GMR–Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) in advance regarding the intended corrective maintenance activity.
Mitigating measures and flight schedule adjustments have been discussed with stakeholders to ensure the smooth conduct of the imperative maintenance activity.
The CAAP assures the public that once the maintenance activity is completed, operations at the ATMC will resume as normal and will allow CAAP-ATMC to serve the flying public better and ensure continued flight safety.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and cooperation in ensuring the safety and efficiency of our air traffic management system,” Apolonio said.
The Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) had inspected the facility to ensure that the ATMC management is operating functionally, safe, and reliable.
The onsite inspection at the facility came more than a week after the New Year’s Day shutdown of the country’s airspace that affected more than 360 flights and 65,000 passengers in NAIA, the country’s premier gateway.