Duterte vows to remedy NAIA woes
Airport issues likely to be tackled in Monday’s Cabinet meeting – Panelo
President Duterte has apologized to air passengers over the flight delays at the Manila international airport and vowed to craft a “remedy” to improve the airport operations within a month, Malacañang said Monday. The President promised to address the airport problems during a surprise inspection of the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (NAIA)-Terminal 2 early Monday morning amid concerns about the flight interruptions reportedly caused by bad weather. He met with concerned NAIA and airline officials as well as talked to some passengers during his unannounced airport visit.
“The Chief Executive discussed how flight aberrations could be minimized and what actions could be employed by the government, particularly the Department of Transportation (DOTr), to solve the problem in the long term,” a Palace press statement read.
“He talked to the passengers apologizing to them for the inconvenience caused by the disruptions. The President vowed to come up with a remedy within a month,” it said.
Normal operations have resumed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after authorities issued a red lightning alert on Sunday night.
A number of domestic and international flights were delayed and were diverted to Clark International Airport in Pampanga after airport authorities issued a red lightning alert Sunday night due to bad weather in Manila.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said the red lightning alert is a safety measure to prevent any untoward incident from happening when lightning is prevalent in the immediate area and may endanger passenger, personnel, and flight operations.
In his meeting with airport and airline officials, the President asked about the flight delays and cancellations “to know whether there are flight diversions and if affected passengers are given incentives to ease their inconvenience,” the Palace said.
Duterte also received a briefing on the flight problems and the measures being undertaken “to normalize the situation,” the Palace added.
“After the surprise inspection, the President took a break at one of the food kiosks at the airport,” the Palace said.
Accompanying the President in the airport visit were MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Capt. Jim Sydiongco, Leyte congressman-elect Martin Romualdez, and Davao businessman Sammy Uy.
Several flights were delayed at the NAIA after airport authorities issued a lightning alert that halted ground movement for two and a half hours. Some flights were reportedly diverted to Clark airport.
A recent computer glitch in the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) system led to reduced arrival and departing rate of aircraft at NAIA. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident.
Last April, the President warned that the military might take over NAIA if the current airport operations do not improve. Duterte raised the possibility of tapping the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to lead the airport operations after citing the same military strategy applied to clean up the corruption-tainted Bureau of Customs (BOC).
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the problems hounding the Manila airport will likely be tackled by President Duterte and his Cabinet Monday afternoon.
The President has not announced whether heads will roll over the NAIA woes but might make “some announcement” about the problem during the meeting at the Palace, Panelo said.
“Let’s see. He has not made any announcement,” Panelo said during a Palace news conference when asked if certain officials may be fired over airport issues.
“Maybe in the Cabinet meeting tonight (Monday), he will make some announcement or even discuss the problem there, or department head may discuss it with us,” he added. (With a report from PNA)