Hundreds of passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 have been hit by a bag delay glitch after the terminal's baggage handling system malfunctioned on Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement, Cebu Pacific said 821 bags across its flights were hit by the system glitch.
"Cebu Pacific is actively addressing passenger concerns regarding delayed bags...We are working closely with the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) which is also exerting every effort to resolve the technical challenges as quickly as possible and restore normal operations," it said.
According to the carrier, it established a team dedicated to manage the situation and gave passengers the choice of having affected bags delivered to their destination or picked up at the airport for domestic flights.
"For international flights, a similar option was available along with delivery services for passengers with onward destinations. Our teams are doing everything in their power to expedite baggage deliveries and ensure all affected passengers are assisted promptly," Cebu Pacific said.
It asked passengers for patience and understanding.
Meanwhile, NNIC said it was working closely with Cebu Pacific to ensure that contingency measures were effectively addressing the said malfunction.
"To minimize the impact on travelers, both NNIC and Cebu Pacific have increased manpower to expedite baggage processing. Additionally, alternative systems and protocols have been activated to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible," NNIC said, adding that the incident "underscores the urgent need to upgrade NAIA’s aging infrastructure."
According to the operator, replacing the 20-year old baggage handling system was one of its its top priorities since taking over the operations and management of the airport.
"NNIC has already procured a new, advanced system, with additional redundancy measures set to be implemented to prevent future disruptions and enhance operational efficiency," it said.