MIAA: NAIA landing system will be operational soon

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) announced yesterday that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s instrument landing system (ILS) will be serviceable on or before Aug. 15, a year after it bogged down due to typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.”

MIAA general manager Jose Honrado said the ILS’ two main components – the glide slope and localizer antenna – are still being connected to the main power lines.

The ILS was submerged in floodwaters brought by Ondoy and Pepeng and its components were badly damaged, sources said.

Honrado said there are several more steps that would have to be done by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) before the ILS could be made operational.

“After the installation and the provision of electric power, the ILS would be subjected to flight check and calibration by the CAAP,” Honrado said.

The CAAP and the MIAA have a previous arrangement wherein the CAAP operates and maintains the aeronautical equipment while the MIAA provides the funds for their purchase.

As of yesterday, the Integrated Energy Systems and Resources Inc. was able to install the antenna localizer and shelter for the cable and monitor, according to Susan Tecson, the company’s managing director executive.

“We have powered up the localizer, including the shelter and monitor masts,” Tecson said, adding that two foreign consultants, engineers Rico Heuer and Marc Thelen, are preparing the ILS for the upcoming flight checks.

The ILS components, costing $2.4 million, were manufactured in France by Thales ATM Project Engineers and were brought to the country last July 9. The ILS is a ground-based system that provides precision guidance to aircraft approaching and landing on a runway.

An ILS consists of two independent sub-systems, the localizer, providing horizontal or lateral guidance, while the glide slope or glide path gives the cockpit reading of the airplane’s vertical position relative to the runway.