Manila airport disruption: Nearly 270 flights cancelled after reported power outage, technical issues

Food being distributed to affected passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on Jan 1, 2023. (Photo: Facebook/Ninoy Aquino International Airport MIAA)
SINGAPORE: Nearly 270 flights into or out of Manila were cancelled on Sunday (Jan 1) following technical issues and a reported power outage at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Travellers began experiencing issues in the early hours of New Year's Day, with the airport authority saying in a Facebook post at 12.15am that several flight schedules may change "at any given time".
In a subsequent statement, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said flights to and from the capital were on hold due to technical issues involving navigational air traffic management systems.
This prompted Philippine aviation authorities to halt all flights and trigger emergency protocols to address the situation and enable flights to resume as soon as possible.
Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific said there was a power outage at the Philippine Air Traffic Management Center.
In an advisory, the low-cost carrier said it was offering passengers of flights scheduled between Sunday and 0400 GMT (12pm local time) on Jan 2 "flexible options", including free rebooking and converting tickets into travel vouchers for future use.
Philippine Airlines said a number of flights were diverted, cancelled and delayed, advising travellers to check the status of their journey before proceeding to the airport.
"This is a temporary situation, and we will take all necessary steps to restore normal schedules and bring diverted flights back to their original destination as soon as possible," Philippine Airlines said in a statement.
In a flight advisory posted on Facebook on Sunday afternoon, the airport authorities said a total of 268 flights were cancelled while seven flights were delayed.
Another seven flights - by carriers Gulf Air, Saudia Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Philippine Airlines - were diverted to cities like Hong Kong, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Davao.
In a subsequent update, MIAA said that its system was partially restored as of 4pm local time, thereby allowing limited flight operations.
"The glitch which affected the entire Philippines is a developing situation that is continuously being monitored ... as of 1600H, a total of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports affecting about 56,000 passengers in NAIA," the authority said.