Several senators have expressed their support on possible investigation over the technical problem encountered at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems for Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) on New Year’s Day.
The glitch pushed the country’s main gateway to shutdown for hours.
“We give them time to restore normal flight operations. After which, we will conduct an inquiry and direct them to submit a full report of what caused the supposed glitch and power outage,” Senator Grace Poe said in a statement.
Poe said the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has a lot to explain especially the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) already said that there was a steady supply of power from its end.
“The failure then points to CAAP and their navigation equipment.This is a national security concern. Thousands of lives depend on the efficiency and competence of CAAP,” Poe said.
“There needs to be transparency and accountability from CAAP. We will, therefore, conduct a hearing as part of the Senate’s oversight function, to determine who is liable, and what we need to do to avoid the malfunction from happening again,” she added.
Over 280 flights have been affected during the shutdown which stranded some 56,000 passengers.
