NAIA ‘almost back to normal’ as it resumes partial operations

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said the NAIA has been able to mount half of the capacity of its flights daily since the partial resumption of operations on Monday. (PNA file photo)

MANILA — Flight operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are “almost back to normal” after being shut on Sunday night due to ash cloud from Taal Volcano, an airport official said on Tuesday.

Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said the NAIA has been able to mount half of the capacity of its flights daily since the partial resumption of operations on Monday.

“Magmula ho kahapon, normal na po ang aming operasyon pero yung airlines’ capability to mount all the regular flights ay unti-unti na hong ginagawa (Since yesterday, we have resumed normal operations but airlines’ capability to mount all regular flights is still in the process),” Monreal said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday.

“We’re on the road to recovery na po,” he added.

Monreal said the airport was able to accommodate 360 flights from 12 midnight to 7 a.m. on Tuesday. The airport has an average of about 750 flights per day when fully operational.

NAIA is also set to lift the two-hour closure of regular runway maintenance on Wednesday between 1:30 to 3:30 a.m. to allow airlines to mount at least 80 more flights.

“As we speak, once we reopened, 360 flights given go signal for arrival and departure. We have more recovery flights. We are almost back to normal,” Monreal said.

Deploy more employees

Monreal, meanwhile, urged airline companies to have “humanitarian consideration” for passengers affected by canceled flights by deploying more employees to attend to their needs.

He also appealed to passengers with canceled international flights to have more patience as rebooking new flights were more complicated than rebooking domestic flights.

The official explained that unlike point-to-point domestic flights, international flights were also connecting flights.

“Pag hindi ho sila umabot sa flight na ‘yun definitely yung airline dito hindi makakagawa ng panibagong booking kaagad (If they don’t make it to a particular flight, the airline will definitely not be able to rebook immediately),” Monreal said.

Passengers with regular flights can head straight to the airport. However, Monreal encouraged them to first check with the airlines if there are some delays.

On the other hand, he said passengers who failed to make it to their scheduled flights should communicate with the airline offices.

Right now, he said airlines prioritized flights scheduled on a particular day.

“Lahat ng naka-schedule ngayon, yun po yung binibigyan ng priyoridad, Yung mga recovery flights sinisingit po natin kung may pagkakataon (Flights that are scheduled today will be given priority. Recovery flights will be squeezed in when there is an opportunity)” Monreal said.

Should the alert status over Taal Volcano be upgraded to level 5, Monreal said it could warrant another suspension of airline operations.

“Definitely there will be a chance but we hope that chance doesn’t happen,” Monreal said.

Avoid volcanic area

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Jim Syndiongco said volcanic ash is hazardous to flight operations as it could damage the aircraft’s engine.

He said pilots cannot identify if the aircraft could pass through clouds that contain volcanic ash.

“We advise airlines to avoid the volcanic area not only the national airlines but all foreign airlines flying over the Philippines to avoid that area,” Syndiongco said.

As part of standard operating procedure, Syndiongco also assured that airlines that cannot land in Manila due to existing hazards can be diverted to other airports.

“Whenever an aircraft takes off from a point of departure to point B as the destination, may gasolina ho yan para tumuloy sa (they have enough gasoline to proceed to) point C which we call the alternate airport,” he said.

“If they cannot land Manila they can proceed either to Clark or Cebu or Iloilo for that matter,” he added.

Earlier, the CAAP temporarily suspended departing flights on Sunday from 6:22 p.m. to 11 p.m. and arriving flights from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. due to the presence of volcanic ash on major traffic airways.

The country’s main gateway resumed partial operations shortly before noon on Monday.

Some 516 flights and 25,000 passengers were affected by flight cancelations since Sunday when Taal started acting up.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has raised Alert Level 4 over Taal Volcano which means “hazardous eruption is possible within days”.