NAIA airspace to be closed

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) complex airspace will be closed for one hour on Nov. 9 to pave way for a full-scale airplane crash and rescue simulation exercises.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will be issuing a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) in coordination with the Air Transportation Office to inform pilots all over the world about the temporary airport closure so that they can adjust their arrival or departure schedules accordingly.

The airport management will be staging the Crash and Rescue Exercise (CREX) from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. The exercise inlcudes simulated emergency situations such as aircraft crash and highjacking incidents.

Retired Brig. Gen. Angel Atutubo, MIAA assistant general manager for security and emergency services, said they are holding the CREX simulation in compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines. – Rainier Allan Ronda