NAIA operations temporarily suspended due to lightning alert

Flight and ground operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport were suspended on Sunday afternoon due to inclement weather, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said in an advisory.

The suspension of operations was triggered by a lightning red alert issued by PAGASA at 2:56 p.m.

“The alert is a safety measure taken to prevent an untoward incident from happening when lightning is prevalent in the immediate area and may endanger personnel, passengers, and even flight operations,” the MIAA said.

MIAA resumed flight operations shortly after PAGASA lowered the lightning red alert to yellow at 3:23 p.m.

In its latest weather bulletin, PAGASA said Tropical Depression Ester accelerated northward over the sea west of Okinawa Island but continues to enhance the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat.

In its 11 a.m. weather bulletin, PAGASA said Ester was 915 kilometers northeast of extreme northern Luzon as of 10 a.m. Ester has maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 55 km/h, and central pressure of 1000 hPa. — DVM, GMA News