NAIA resumes partial operations, prioritizes departures

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has resumed operations Monday noon, with priority given to departing flights given its current capacity.

In a press conference, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal said the suspension of flights to and from NAIA was lifted Monday morning.

"In an earlier meeting with the stakeholders, we lifted already the NOTAM of the closure... The departures, initially, we have agreed to lift the closure at 10 a.m.," he said.

Despite this, flights were only accommodated past 12 noon, as authorities had to clear out the ashfall from the runways of the airport.

"As early as this morning at around 4, we started to clear the ashfall in relation to the runway," said Monreal.

"In terms of volume, sa runway ho, parang a little over or less than isang pulgada 'yung kapal ng deposit na tinanggal natin," he added.

The first flight arrived at the NAIA at 12:21 p.m. from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, while the first flight departed NAIA at 12:31 p.m. to Hong Kong.

According to Monreal, priority will have to be given to departing flights, to give space for flights which will be coming in.

"Kailangan i-schedule natin ang arrival, dahil as we speak, lahat hong parking slots sa ating paliparan, magmula sa Terminal 1 hanggang sa Terminal 4, are full of aircraft," he said.

"Ang plano namin ay to give way to the departures first so that we will be able to get parking slots available," explained Monreal.

Moving forward, Monreal urged the public to coordinate with their respective airlines to check the status of their flights. "We request the passengers to make sure that their flights can leave before proceeding to the airport," he said. —KBK, GMA News