Duterte makes surprise inspection at NAIA

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday morning made a surprise inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after hearing reports about flight delays and cancellations, Malacañang said.

Duterte was accompanied by airport officials during his visit to the NAIA Terminal 2 in Pasay City, according to a news release from the Presidential Communications Operations Office.

They included Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Captain Jim Sydiongco, incoming Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez, and Davao businessman Sammy Uy.

Duterte asked airline and NAIA officials regarding the cancellations and delays to find out whether there were flight diversions and if affected passengers were given incentives to ease their inconvenience.

He also apologized to the passengers and vowed to come up with a remedy within a month.

A Philippine Airlines manager and a NAIA Terminal 2 airport duty manager also briefed the President on the flight woes and explained actions being undertaken to normalize the situation.

“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,” Malacañang said.

After the inspection, the President took a break at one of the food kiosks at the airport, the Palace said.

Seven flights bound for Manila were diverted to Clark International Airport and 54 flights were delayed due to bad weather on Sunday, according to Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

The flight delays and diversions were prompted by the suspension of ramp operations as a result of the inclement weather.

Last week, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo called out airport authorities after experiencing inconvenience during his arrival at the NAIA from Japan on June 1.

Panelo said he called the attention of Monreal about the limited number of functioning carousels and the airport's poor air conditioning system.

According to Panelo, it took him and his companions "more than two hours" to retrieve their luggage.

To avoid overcrowding at the carousels, Panelo suggested to NAIA to ask airlines to observe a 30-minute interval between embarking of passengers "so that they will not be all there in one sweep." —KG, GMA News