The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has successfully completed the second phase of scheduled electrical system upgrades at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. This phase, which started on April 2, 2024, concluded on Tuesday with power being restored at 3:02 a.m. following a maintenance activity that began at midnight.
During the upgrade, the MIAA replaced deteriorated medium-voltage switchgear components across eight electrical substations within Terminal 3. MIAA General Manager Eric Ines highlighted the importance of these upgrades in preventing power outages like those experienced in May and June 2023, which led to numerous flight cancellations and left thousands of passengers stranded.
“Iniiwasan natin yung magkaroon ng parang glitch. Pag nag-glitch lalong mag-total power out,” Ines explained.
Ines expressed hope that this would be the last electrical maintenance work needed this year. However, he admitted that these upgrades are not a long-term solution to the airport’s power issues. “Kailangan naming baguhin lahat yung source ng power. In fact, ang ultimate solution dyan is to have our own power plant na hindi namin kaya at this point because it’s too expensive. I hope with the privatization, papasok yung consortium, e sila na ang gagawa nun,” he said.
No flights were affected by the power interruption, though MIAA apologized for any inconvenience caused. Ines noted that generator sets were on standby to ensure critical equipment and facilities, such as check-in, immigration, security, and boarding, remained operational, although air conditioning was only minimally maintained.
MIAA also committed to improving communication about future maintenance activities to avoid alarming passengers. “Siguro mali din namin, hindi namin ni-remind nang ni-remind. Kasi iba-ibang grupo yan e. Maybe some hindi nakabasa o hindi narinig yung announcement natin so nagugulat,” Ines said.
In related news, the issue with the baggage handling system at NAIA Terminal 1 has been resolved. On Monday, some x-ray machines and conveyor belts at the departure area were damaged, leading to a pile-up of baggage.