Duterte conducts surprise inspection at Naia

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte made a surprise inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 2 in Pasay City on Monday morning, June 10, following the suspension for over two hours of flights and ground movement of ramp personnel due to a Red Lightning Alert.

Malacañang said the President was briefed by the manager of flag carrier Philippine Airlines and airport duty manager of Naia Terminal 2 on the flight woes and the actions being undertaken to normalize the situation in the airport.

“President Duterte talked to airline and Naia officials regarding the cancellations and delays to know whether there are flight diversions and if affected passengers are given incentives to ease their inconvenience,” the Palace said in a press statement.

“The Chief Executive discussed how flight aberrations could be minimized and what actions could be employed by the government, particularly the Department of Transportation, to solve the problem in the long term,” it added.

Duterte was accompanied by Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Jim Sydiongco, Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez, and Davao businessman Sammy Uy, the Palace said.

Flights at the Naia were delayed for over two hours Sunday evening, July 9, because of the Red Lightning Alert that was raised at around 6:40 p.m. It was lifted at 9:15 p.m., the MIAA announced.

Seven international and domestic flights were diverted to Clark International Airport due to the inclement weather at Naia.

Duterte also spent time interacting with passengers to personally apologize for the flight delays.

“The President vowed to come up with a remedy within a month,” the Palace said.

Naia ramp operations have already normalized.

After the surprise inspection, the President took a break at one of the food kiosks at the Naia, Malacañang said. /Sunstar Philippines