Smog cancels 14 flights, diverts 46 others

CEBU, Philippines - Flight cancellations and delays marred airport operations at the Ninoy Aquino Aquino International Airport on Saturday morning after thick and low haze blanketed parts of the metropolis including the airport runways, forcing aviation authorities to either defer or divert flights to other airports for several hours.

In its 3 p.m. flight advisory, the Manila International Airport Authority said 12 flights of the Cebu Pacific Airlines and two flights of the Air Express Airlines (formerly Air Philippines) were cancelled due to the phenomenon.

The thick haze was described by a NAIA-based weather forecaster as smog, or combination of smoke and fog, that covered the metropolis from daybreak to noontime.

Earlier in the day, 46 flights coming in to Manila from other provinces and other countries were diverted either to Pampanga and Cebu, or Iloilo since the haze had made it impossible for pilots to see the NAIA runway.

Of the 46 affected incoming flights, 43 were diverted to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark Field in Pampanga while three Philippine Airlines flights re-routed and landed in Cebu.

Lito Casaul, technical assistant of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, earlier said haze that covered the airport on Saturday was relatively nearer the ground than on other days.

The diverted planes had to wait for confirmation that the haze had already dissipated before they were allowed to fly in again for a NAIA landing.

According to radio reports, an MIAA spokesman said that by Saturday afternoon, no additional flights have been diverted or cancelled since the haze had lifted and visibility in the NAIA runways had improved to five kilometers.

The MIAA said 15 flights, six of them international, have successfully landed at the NAIA, as of posting time. Some of the diverted international flights came from Guam and Saudi Arabia.

Despite the thick haze, some PAL flights were still able to land in Manila because their Airbus planes are equipped with Required Area Navigation-Global Positioning System (RNAV-GPS) system.

Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing of the Cebu Pacific Airlines, said their affected flights were only small planes.

A “24 Oras” report aired over GMA7 News on Saturday afternoon quoted airport officials as saying the newly installed Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Radio Range could not be used yet because it has still has to be calibrated.

The television report also said that the Instrument Landing System that the government had ordered for the NAIA will not be arriving in the Philippines until August. The ILS is expected to remain operating as navigational aid for pilots even when DVOR or RNAV systems have both failed.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration described the phenomenon as smog, which was due to a high pressure weather system that restricted surface air movement and caused cloudy skies over the National Capital Region.

“Mayroon po tayong ridge of high pressure area existing which affects the Metro Manila area,” said Hannah Grace Cristi, weather forecaster at the PAGASA office at NAIA.

She added that the lack of air movement over at the NAIA contributed to the poor visibility in the area.

Diverted to Cebu

Three flights of PAL were diverted to the Mactan Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu City.

MCIA press relation assistant Jerome Oyao said that PAL’s PR 124 from Zamboanga City bound for Manila arrived at MCIA at 9:07 a.m.

PAL’s PR 192 from Tacloban City arrived at MCIA at 11:06 a.m. while PR 196 from Puerto Princesa arrived at the airport at 12:06 p.m.

Oyao said that the three diverted flights departed from MCIA between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. for Manila.

Oyao said that aside from these three diverted flights, they have not received any other information if some flights were diverted especially those coming from Cebu.— Mitchelle L. Calipayan with GMANews.TV/BRP (FREEMAN NEWS)