Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5) — The closure of the Philippine airspace on May 17 for maintenance activity has been cut to two hours, shorter than the six-hour period initially announced.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said on Friday that “after careful process reviews and simulations,” the scheduled shutdown has been moved to 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., instead of after midnight until 6 a.m.
While there is no estimated number given yet, this means fewer flights will be affected, as the shutdown would mean there will be no flight operations across the country.
“We apologize for any inconvenience that this schedule change may cause, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to maintain the recommended standards of air traffic management in the country,” the CAAP said in a statement.
The agency earlier said it has to upgrade the country’s air traffic management system, repair the automatic voltage regulator, and replace the uninterruptible power supply on May 17.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) previously said around 130 flights will be disrupted if the corrective maintenance activity pushes through from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m.
MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co also explained that authorities chose the initial hours after midnight as the timeframe as this is seen to be the least disruptive to operations.
The maintenance works come after the New Year’s Day technical glitch at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport that caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights, as well as the May 1 power outage which likewise affected thousands of passengers at Terminal 3 of the country’s main gateway.
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