MANILA – Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez on Tuesday inspected the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) to ensure its systems are fully functional and to prevent a repeat of the 2023 New Year airspace shutdown that disrupted flights nationwide.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier directed the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and CAAP to ensure smooth aviation operations and hassle-free travel for passengers, particularly during All Saints’ Day and the holiday season.

“I just want to emphasize that ayaw ko na mangyari what happened last January 1, 2023,” Lopez said, referring to the technical glitch that temporarily shut down Philippine airspace last year.

During the inspection, Lopez checked the facility’s equipment and instruments used in air traffic control. He was informed that CAAP has initiated measures to strengthen systems redundancy and upgrades to its Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system.

CAAP has also procured new uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units for the CNS/ATM to prevent similar power-related failures.

“We checked the redundancy, among others. Siguraduhin lang natin na hindi na mauulit ang nangyari dati para wala ng mga pasahero na maaabala lalo na mula Undas hanggang sa Pasko at Bagong Taon,” Lopez said.

He also asked CAAP Director General Raul del Rosario to extend his appreciation to the CAAP Board for supporting the agency’s preventive measures to strengthen the aviation sector’s reliability.

The January 1, 2023 incident caused a temporary shutdown of the CAAP ATMC due to a power outage, resulting in the loss of communication, radar, and internet systems. The disruption affected thousands of passengers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other airports across the country.