MANILA: Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Cesar Chiong instructed airline operators to ensure their manpower at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is enough for this peak season.
“So we can be assured that they have the numbers, I have directed our head of operations to make the airlines submit their manpower schedules and deployment vis-a-vis their number of flights in a day, making sure that there are enough ground staff, especially check-in agents, loaders, and ramp agents,” Chiong said in a statement on Tuesday.
The MIAA reported that 1.6 million passengers used the country’s main gateway from December 1 to 15.
As such, Chiong said airline operators and ground handlers must ensure maximum attendance of personnel and must include buffers.
He also instructed airlines to keep their passengers aware if their luggage was not loaded on the flight, and give them compensation based on the Air Passenger Bill of Rights.
The MIAA cited an incident wherein some luggage failed to arrive with their owners in Manila over the weekend.
Some netizens posted on social media their disappointment as they experienced delayed flights and had to wait for their baggage for hours. These passengers were bound for Manila and some provinces.
According to the MIAA, the baggage handling system at NAIA Terminal 3 “encountered some issues for about an hour” on December 17.
Chiong already ordered a thorough inspection of this system, the MIAA said.
The operations and engineering teams of MIAA were instructed to ensure the reliability of all facilities and equipment. Airlines, on the other hand, were urged to plan for contingencie
Source: Philippines News Agency