Flight disruptions caused by equipment malfunction is now a thing of the past.
Aviation authorities on Thursday made this assurance following completion of the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) upgrade and maintenance on May 3 and 17.
“The Philippines now has a robust system to ensure safety and convenience of the flying public,“ said Air Traffic Service chief Marlene Singson.
Singson said the completion of the corrective maintenance replacing the old uninterruptible power supply with two brand new UPS, the new automatic voltage regulator (AVR) and the upgraded power system at the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) guaranteed a continuous safe air traffic management within the Philippine Flight Information Region (FIR).
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines extends its appreciation to all stakeholders for their understanding, cooperation, and support throughout the ATMC power upgrade process.
“We continuously recognizes the importance of seamless air traffic management, and it remains committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and efficiency,” said CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio.
Apolonio said the power upgrade and corrective maintenance activity at ATMC were executed without causing any inconvenience to the riding public.
On May 3, the ATMC corrective maintenance was carried out between 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. focusing on the AVR repair while on May 17, during the same time frame, the UPS was replaced, and an upgrade of the ATMS A/B power supply was executed.
The works were made to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted operation of the Communications, Navigations, Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system, responsible for managing and overseeing air traffic activities within the country’s FIR.
“With the goal to address the lack of power system redundancy and robustness that contributed to the technical glitch last January 1, 2023, the AVR was made operational again and 2 New UPS were installed,” Air Navigation Service (ANS) Chief Engr. Alex Balde explained.
Balde said as part of the upgrade, and in order to ensure high redundancy and prevent interruption in the operation of the CNS/ATM center, several modifications were made in the electrical line system downstream configurations.
Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS) were put in place to ensure that short interruptions in the CNS/ATM equipment are avoided.
During the maintenance period, the CAAP took proactive measures to minimize flight disruptions and keep the public informed.
