Power outage forces Philippines to suspend flights, shut airspace - Reuters

MANILA, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Philippine authorities halted flights successful and retired of Manila connected New Year's Day owed to a malfunction of aerial postulation control, which besides prevented airlines bound to different destinations from utilizing the country's airspace.

A full of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled oregon diverted to different determination airports, affecting astir 56,000 passengers astatine Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airdrome relation said connected Sunday.

It was unclear however galore overflights were affected.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista apologized for the inconvenience to passengers arsenic helium blamed a powerfulness outage for the breakdown of the cardinal aerial postulation power strategy that besides affected operations astatine different airports successful the country.

He said the outdated existing installation should beryllium upgraded instantly and that a back-up strategy was besides needed.

"This is aerial postulation absorption strategy issue," helium said successful a media briefing. "If you volition comparison america with Singapore, for one, determination is simply a large difference, they are astatine slightest 10 years up of us."

As of 0800 GMT, "the strategy has been partially restored thereby allowing constricted formation operations", the Manila International Airport Authority said successful a statement. By precocious evening, 8 formation arrivals and 8 departures had been allowed, according to the airdrome operator.

Video clips and photos posted connected societal media showed agelong queues astatine the airdrome and hose unit distributing nutrient packs and drinks to stranded passengers.

"We're told radar and navigation facilities astatine NAIA down. I was connected my mode location fm Tokyo - 3 hours into the flight, but had to instrumentality to Haneda," tweeted 1 rider - Manuel Pangilinan, president of Philippine telecommunications conglomerate PLDT Inc.

"6 hours of useless flying but inconvenience to travellers and losses to tourism and concern are horrendous. Only successful the PH. Sigh."

Budget bearer Cebu Pacific (CEB.PS) and Philippine Airlines (PAL.PS) said they were offering passengers owed to alert connected Sunday escaped rebooking oregon the enactment to person tickets to vouchers.

Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Neil Fullick, Peter Graff and Alison Williams

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