Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 19) — A lawmaker is calling for the appointment of an “air traffic czar” who will improve services at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
\”We would urge Malacañang to look for an air traffic czar who can manage commercial flight activity, compel airlines to reschedule flights if necessary, and to oversee the shift to Clark [International Airport]. This is the only way we can fix NAIA’s congestion and improve travel experience,\” Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said on Sunday.
\”There’s really no point in overloading NAIA with more flights, considering that we have Clark nearby that is four times larger, has unused capacity, and is ready to handle more aircraft and passengers at any given time,\” he added.
The NAIA management has been under fire for the New Year’s Day fiasco. The power outage and technical glitch at the NAIA disrupted hundreds of flights last Jan. 1, leaving at least 65,000 passengers stranded, including overseas Filipino workers.
The Department of Transportation, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and other relevant agencies have formed an inter-agency team to investigate the air traffic management system failure that occurred at the country’s main air hub.
