2023 Philippine airspace closure

As technicians attempted bypass the UPS units to restore power to the ATMC, they triggered an inadvertent overvoltage, which damaged equipment in the center.

[1] Modernized CNS/ATM systems across the country were first conceptualized in the late 1990s; development began in 2010 as part of a project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

[13][15] Technicians attempted to bypass the two UPS systems but caused an overvoltage at 12:19 p.m. that damaged one of the center's two very-small-aperture terminals (VSAT).

[11] At the time of the incident, Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines both cited a power outage at the ATMC as the cause for the suspension of flights.

[1] At 1:54 p.m., MIAA released a press statement stating that all flights to and from Manila were put on hold and that the authority's crisis management and emergency response teams were activated.

[17][18] Shortly after noon, MIAA general manager Cesar Chiong stated that the power issue was fixed and that service would be restored after system tests.

[1] Service to NAIA was partially restored at 4:00 p.m. on the same day after the CAAP began using radar in Tagaytay, allowing limited operations.

LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz stated that the initiative was started "to protect passengers from certain taxis and transport network companies that are taking advantage of the situation by jacking up their surge prices".

[28] PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan was one of the affected passengers, whose aircraft returned to Haneda Airport in Japan mid-flight.

He urged transport secretary Jaime Bautista to expedite the negotiations regarding acquisition of equipment for the upgrade of airports in the country as well as ensure that a proper backup system is in place to prevent a similar incident in the future.

[32] It was later revealed that the ATMC, which was set up by Thales and Sumitomo, had its last proper maintenance more than two years before the incident.

CAAP Director-General Manuel Tamayo admitted the lack of closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) in the equipment room housing the ATMC.

[33] The airspace was shut down again for two hours on January 22, three weeks after the major shutdown, to carry out the replacement of the cooling fan for the second uninterruptible power supply.

[34] The MIAA closed the airspace from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. (lasting two hours) on May 3 and May 17 to repair the malfunctioned automatic voltage regulator and to replace an uninterruptible power supply in the ATMC.