CLIMATE change is the main culprit in the frequent Lightning Red alerts being issued by the Manila International Airport Authority to guide airlines and staff on the ground.the MIAA is just “following international standards,” which dictates that a red alert is issued when lighting occurs within a 5-kilometer radius around the aerodrome. “It even used to be 9 km,” he said, “but I told them to lower it to 5 km, which is the international standard.
For his part, PAL president Capt. Stanley Ng suggested the reduction of the safety radius around the airport to minimize flight disruptions. “Maybe we can reduce it pa to 2 km like in other countries.” According to MIAA, it issued a total of 439 combined Lightning Red and Yellow Alerts in 2022. The average duration for a red status is an hour and two minutes before being downgraded to a yellow alert.
At the same event, Ng said the carrier will tackle recent passenger complaints of unrepaired plane toilets, broken handrests and the like. “During the pandemic, some of the planes were parked. When we activated the planes last year, the cosmetics didn’t become a priority because there was a sudden surge in demand [for travel]. But mid-year last year, we ordered the spare parts already.”