On Thursday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines took full responsibility over the air traffic management disaster that happened on New Year’s Day.
“On behalf of CAAP and DOTr (Department of Transportation), we again extend our sincerest apologies to all those who were inconvenienced and greatly affected by this circumstance which is something we’re not proud of,” CAAP Director General Manuel Tamayo said during the Senate hearing.
Tamayo said that the CAAP commits to work through the ordeal by ensuring their service guarantees Filipinos during their flights.
Last January 1, CAAP’s air traffic system shut down following a power outage. This affected at least 600 flights and stranded 65,000 passengers whose flights were canceled, diverted, or delayed.
Since then, six senators intend to further investigate the CAAP’s failure.