No flights in Philippine airspace as 'technical issues' hit air traffic system

Passengers wait for information about their flights at terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila on Jan. 1, 2023. Thousands of travellers were stranded at Philippine airports on January 1 after a "loss of communication" at the country's busiest hub in Manila forced hundreds of flights to be cancelled, delayed or diverted.
AFP/Kevin Tristan Espiritu

UPDATE: Manila International Airport Authority reports that, as of 4 p.m., the unspecified issue "in the system has been partially restored thereby allowing limited flight operations."

It also said that the "glitch which affected the entire Philippines is a developing situation that is continuously being monitored" by authorities.

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MANILA, Philippines — Technical issues in the Air Traffic Management Center in Pasay on New Year's Day delayed domestic and international flights on Sunday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said they are now working on addressing the issue for the safety of passengers and promised to keep the public posted on any developments. 

"The safety of passengers is the priority of the agency and it is better to secure the aircrafts on the ground to avoid any airborne accident," CAAP said in an advisory sent to media.

"There are currently no airborne commercial flights in the Philippines," flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said in a tweet on Sunday afternoon.

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Flag carriers Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have released separate advisories regarding the delays, as some of the inbound flights have been diverted. 

Cebu Pacific explained that a power outage cut communication lines, affecting all airport operations. 

“This is a temporary situation, and we will take all necessary steps to restore normal schedules and bring diverted flights back to their original destination as soon as possible,” PAL said in its statement. 

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