The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has completed its upgrade in its navigation system without any operational disruptions or flight diversions.
The upgrade of the CAAP’s Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system started at 12:31 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30 and ended at at 2:47 a.m.
By 3:01 a.m. the CAAP said all airport operations resumed as normal, and the temporary flow control measures were lifted at 3:05 a.m.
“Throughout the upgrade, effectively managed air traffic during a critical system upgrade of its CNS/ATM system, as international overflights safely traversed the Philippine Flight Information Region under procedural control provided by the Manila Area Control Center,” the CAAP statement read.
“All departures and arrivals nationwide were efficiently managed, ensuring that flights reached their destinations safely and on time,” it added.
The CAAP started the system upgrade following a technical glitch early last year that affected hundreds of thousands of domestic and international flight passengers.
Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista earlier said that there is a need to upgrade the Philippine navigation system since it has been using an outdated one in the past years.
He said P13 billion is needed for the upgrade.
After the technical glitch on Jan. 1 last year, the CAAP started scheduled maintenance and upgrading of the system, the latest was on Monday.
“This upgrade is a significant milestone in the launch of an improved Air Traffic Management System (ATMS) software version enhancing the efficiency, safety, and reliability of air traffic management across Philippine airspace,” the CAAP said.