Contingency measures are now in place to address the malfunction of the baggage handling system at the Ninoyq Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
In a statement, the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) said it immediately started working with Cebu Pacific to address the problem, including the deployment of more personnel to expedite baggage processing.
“Additionally, alternative systems and protocols have been activated to resolve the issue as swiftly as possible,” said the NNIC, the new NAIA operator.
The malfunction of the baggage handling system has disrupted the processing of the checked-in luggage and affected what was supposed to be a smooth travel for the passengers.
Problematic system
A source from the NNIC said the baggage handling system is one of the problematic systems that was identified when the San Miguel-led consortium won the bidding.
The baggage handling system is already 20 years old and the same problem occurred several times in the past, according to the NNIC source who added that a replacement was already ordered as early as July this year.
Upgrade
In a statement, the NNIC said the malfunction of the baggage system underscores the urgent need to upgrade NAIA’s aging infrastructure.
“Since taking over management on September 14, NNIC has been working in phases to modernize the airport’s facilities and critical systems,” the statement read.
“A top priority in these efforts is the replacement of the 20-year-old baggage handling system. 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 added.