Airport issues in the Philippines have turned into an 'absolute nightmare,' with disruptions persisting into the second day.

A massive power failure on New Year's Day wreaked havoc on air traffic control at the Philippines' busiest airport, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded in Manila.

Even after power was restored, many passengers are still facing difficulties with rebooking flights and making their way to their final destinations.

Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), located in Manila, is the primary entry point for travelers coming to the Philippines and serves the entire metropolitan region.

The airport's troubles began Sunday morning, with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirming technical problems were to blame.

As of 4 p.m. local time on New Year's Day, 282 flights had been delayed, canceled, or rerouted to other nearby airports, leaving approximately 56,000 passengers affected.

Behind the scenes

During a press briefing on the evening of January 1, Philippine Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista expressed regret for the disruptions and explained that a major power outage had impacted the airport's central air traffic control system. Despite a backup power supply, it failed to provide sufficient power.

Bautista acknowledged that the air traffic management system was at fault, noting, 'If you compare our airport to Singapore's, there's a clear difference—they are at least a decade ahead of us.'

Bautista also revealed that his department had coordinated with affected airlines to offer free meals, refreshments, transportation, and accommodation to all passengers impacted by the disruptions.

One of the flights impacted by the airspace failure was a Qantas flight from Sydney to Manila, which took off just before 1 p.m. local time on January 1. Three hours into its eight-hour flight, QF19 was forced to return to Australia mid-route.

Qantas confirmed in a statement, 'All airlines were prevented from arriving in Manila on Sunday afternoon due to local authorities closing the airspace. As a result, our Sydney flight had to turn back.'

By 5:50 p.m. local time, partial operations resumed, with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reporting that the airport began accepting inbound flights again. A Department of Transport update on Facebook assured that operations were returning to normal, though equipment restoration continued.

A potential investigation

Despite power being fully restored, flight delays stretched into Tuesday, with cancellations still affecting passengers. Authorities have warned travelers to 'expect more delays' as airlines work to reschedule flights that had been canceled.

Cielo Villaluna, a spokesperson for Philippine Airlines, the country's national carrier, informed Dinogo that passengers should anticipate delays due to the ongoing recovery operations. 'This is an expected outcome of the recovery process,' she explained.

Villaluna also noted that numerous aircraft remained grounded as a result of the air traffic system failure on New Year's Day.

Exhausted and frustrated, passengers expressed their dissatisfaction as they gathered outside airline ticketing offices, seeking clarification and hoping for earlier flights.

The power outage has sparked widespread online outrage, with many, including politicians, demanding to know how and why it occurred in the first place.

Senator Grace Poe of the Philippines has called for an official investigation into the incident, stressing the need for transparency and accountability from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

As part of its oversight duties, Poe announced that the Senate will hold a hearing to identify those responsible for the malfunction and explore measures to prevent a recurrence.

Passengers weigh in

The global aviation industry was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but passenger numbers have been steadily increasing. Experts predict that the industry will return to pre-pandemic levels by 2025.

Social media images and videos revealed chaotic scenes at NAIA, with long queues at check-in counters. Many passengers, weighed down by luggage, were seen gathered around flight arrival screens, anxiously awaiting updates.

Manny V. Pangilinan, a prominent Filipino businessman, tweeted that his flight from Tokyo to Manila was forced to turn back to Haneda airport due to 'radar and navigation failures at NAIA.'

'Six hours of wasted flying,' Pangilinan lamented. 'The inconvenience for travelers and the losses to both tourism and business are staggering.' He added that his flight finally touched down in Manila at 11 p.m. local time.

Xavier Fernandez, a student, was one of the thousands affected by the New Year travel disruptions. After spending hours on the phone with United Airlines and other carriers, he was eventually able to rebook his flight to San Francisco. 'It's been a complete nightmare,' he told Dinogo, noting that he had spent more than 10 hours at the airport.

Fernandez also mentioned that some passengers who boarded their flights early Sunday morning had to disembark after waiting on the planes for several hours, only to learn about the power outages later.

The widespread flight disruptions coincided with the peak year-end travel period in the Philippines, a time when many foreign tourists and overseas Filipino workers return home to celebrate Christmas and New Year, two of the country’s most significant holidays.

Fernandez had traveled to Manila to spend Christmas and New Year with his family.

'This is literally the worst possible way to start the year,' he commented about the incident.

The New Year's airport crisis also disrupted the travel plans of many Filipinos working abroad, with flights to destinations like Hong Kong and Singapore also affected.

Nora Dela Cruz, a domestic worker, shared with Dinogo that her employment situation is now uncertain after she missed her flight back to Hong Kong on Sunday. She, along with other women in the same field, was 'offloaded' due to the delays.