CAAP issued a statement regarding the power outage incident that resulted in technical problems that affected flight operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and prevented aircraft from passing through Philippine airspace on New Year’s Day.

The incident that resulted in the loss of power in the system was due to a problem in the system’s electrical network, with its uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which is to be used as a backup power supply failing according to the CAAP statement.

The aviation authority said the main cause of the power supply problem is “still being determined and is subject to the investigation,” and CAAP’s Aerodrome and Air Navigation Safety Oversight Office (AANSOO) will be tasked to investigate the incident.

CAAP conceded that the system was already “behind” when it was first used in 2019 and has made recommendations to the President on improving the country’s air traffic management system.

The Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System was a P10.8-billion project financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that was completed on October 2017.

The CNS/ATM system provides various computer-aided safety measures in Air Traffic Control (ATC) and enhances safety by reducing controller/pilot workloads and human errors.

CAAP stated that the new ATM system will introduce Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) and Air Space Management (ASM) functions, which will optimize the use of airport capacity and the efficient use of airspace – to minimize delays and allow more flexible and user-preferred air-route selection.

Previously, CAAP only used three radars stationed at NAIA in Pasay, in Clark, Pampanga, and Tagaytay, Cavite, to manage the Philippines’ air traffic.

With the new CNS/ATM system, the country now has 13 radars (NAIA1, Clark, Tagaytay, Aparri, Laoag, Cebu-Mt. Majic, Quezon-Palawan, Zamboanga, NAIA2, Mactan, Bacolod, Kalibo, and Davao) covering around 70% of Philippine air space.

Additionally, with the introduction of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract (ADS-C) and the Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), the CNS/ATM will be able to cover 100% of the remaining oceanic airspace, hence increasing air traffic safety and capacity in the oceanic region of the Manila FIR.

The system was inaugurated on January 16, 2018 and commenced comprehensive operations on July 26, 2019.

The Philippine Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC), which houses the equipment to the system, resumed partial operations with limited capacity at 4:00 p.m., and normal operations resumed at 5:50 p.m., January 1, 2022.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight 222 (4:55 p.m.) and Cathay Pacific flight 930 (5:33 p.m.) were the first flights to land and took off at NAIA after the airport resumed normal operations.