Extended power outage at Naia irks DOTr chief
UNACCEPTABLE Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said that power should be restored in less than five minutes after an outage hit all three airport terminals on Sunday, saying that five minutes was “too long” and “unacceptable.” —Inquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday called on the private operator of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) to come up with a prompt solution after power outages ranging from a minute to as long as 24 minutes hit three terminals over the weekend.
“Five minutes is too long, unacceptable. It should be shorter than that. If there’s a power outage, the generator should kick in immediately,” Dizon told journalists in a briefing at the Department of Transportation (DOTr) central office in Mandaluyong City.
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Naia Terminals 1, 2 and 3 suffered power outages on Sunday—the first time this happened since the New Naia Infra Corp. (NNIC) private consortium took over management of the country’s main gateway in September 2024.
READ: 8-hour outage hits Naia 3; flights delayed, canceled
Power went out at Terminal 1 at 7:40 a.m. and was restored five minutes later at 7:45 a.m. A longer power interruption of 24 minutes was experienced at Terminal 2 starting at 7:24 a.m. until 7:48 a.m.
On the other hand, electricity at Terminal 3 was out for a minute from 8 a.m. to 8:01 a.m.
Eric Ines, general manager of Manila International Airport Authority—whose role was relegated to Naia regulator with the entry of NNIC—attributed the outage to power tripping because of an overload of electricity from Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), which affected the three terminals and Naia airfield.
One-minute standard
Ines said that NNIC general manager Lito Alvarez was working on the immediate fixes as he also assured authorities that a Meralco emergency response team was on standby 24/7 in Naia.
“I know that the airport has many technical problems due to its age, and it will take some time before the new operator can address these. But we have to meet the standards contained in the privatization agreement for operations that the power should be restored within one minute,” Dizon said.
The DOTr chief, however, acknowledged the NNIC’s efforts to implement a long-term solution to the power issues that have hounded the airport in the past years.
According to Dizon, the NNIC is studying a direct connection to the national grid to accommodate Naia’s high power demands, bypassing restrictions set by Meralco.
In December, the NNIC signed a partnership with the power distributor to ensure reliable power supply to all four Naia terminals, including Terminal 4.
Meralco substation
Toward this end, Meralco will build a new 115 kilovolts (kV)–34.5 kV GIS (Gas Insulated Switchgear) substation, which is set to be completed in December 2026.
The soon-to-be-constructed Naia substation will complement Meralco’s existing Naia 3 substation, which will ultimately provide two 83-MVA (mega volt-amperes) transformer banks and six 34.5 kV underground feeders for enhanced reliability, redundancy and future-readiness.
Meralco is also working with the NNIC to implement an underground power distribution network for improved power reliability and reduced disruption risks.
At the same time, Meralco subsidiary MServ will also install a 4900-KVA uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system across six critical locations, including Naia Terminal 3 and the airfield.
“Years of underinvestment have left Naia struggling to meet the demands of a modern airport. With Meralco as our partner, we are addressing power reliability as a top priority, alongside operational improvements such as decongesting traffic within the airport, widening roads, mitigating flooding and replacing faulty equipment,” NNIC president Ramon Ang said.
“These efforts directly improve functionality, safety and the passenger experience, setting the foundation for a world-class airport that every Filipino can be proud of,” he added.
