Maintenance work at the country’s Air Traffic Management Center on Wednesday was successful, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
Airport operations went to normal after the activity scheduled from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. was accomplished in just over an hour – 2 a.m. to 3:13 a.m. The work was made to avoid a repeat of the infamous New Year’s Day airspace shutdown.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the “corrective maintenance activity” also did not affect the country’s airspace. It added air traffic controllers reported no flight disruptions during the maintenance operation.
He added the agency promptly notified Manila Tower of the completion of the maintenance activity.
“Personnel manning the Communications Navigation Surveillance Systems (CNSS) and Air Navigation Service (ANS) reported normal operations at the ATMC. Continuous monitoring and finetuning of the CNSS and ANS are being undertaken to ensure the unimpeded operations of airports throughout the country,” Apolonio said.
The CAAP said it extends its appreciation for the understanding and cooperation of various aviation stakeholders, highlighting the importance of seamless air traffic management in compliance to the highest standards of safety and efficiency.
Meanwhile, the Manila International Airport Authority announceed that the maintenance had no impact on flight operations at the country’s premier airport.
“As of 03:20 AM, flight operations have resumed without any disruptions,” the MIAA media affairs division started in ints advisory.
“The MIAA recognizes the careful planning and preparation of all stakeholders and the CAAP for carrying out the replacement activity with care and precision thereby ensuring the safety and efficiency of flight operations in NAIA.”
“The MIAA would especially like to thank the air riding public for their support and understanding while aviation authorities under the Department of Transportation continue to implement measures meant to promote safe, reliable and convenient air travel.”
The CAAP made the second part of the maintenance work at ATMC that 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.
The Aviation authority claimed it made and completed its initial maintenance work on May 3, also without disruption.
The ATMC power supply upgrade involves the installation of a bypass panel to provide seamless ATM operations and the reconfiguration of the existing power distribution panel to segregate ATM system A (Voice) and ATM system B (Data). This will result in the two UPS serving as each other’s independent backup in case one power supply encounters a problem.