The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is set to temporarily shut down the centralized air cooling system of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 this week to facilitate its final upgrade, which aims to resolve the issues of inadequate cooling at the terminal.
The final step for the installation of six new cooling towers is scheduled for July 16 to 17 from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., when the new cooling tower piping will be connected to the main piping lines of the chiller plant.
During this period, only the fans and blowers of the air-conditioning units will operate to enable air circulation in various areas, including check-in counters, immigration departure, final security checks for domestic and international flights, baggage carousels for international and domestic arrivals, and the arrival lobby.
MIAA said its medical team will be on high alert and ready to respond to any medical emergency, as about 27,000 arriving and departing passengers on 117 flights may experience discomfort due to reduced air circulation during the 12-hour interruption.
Eric Jose Ines, MIAA general manager, seeks for understanding and cooperation from all airport users during the temporary shutdown. “Please bear with us. The upgrades are intended to bolster the terminal’s capability to maintain ideal temperatures efficiently thereby ensuring a more pleasant experience for all airport users,” he said.
To mitigate this, stand-alone air-conditioning units will be deployed in various areas of the terminal for spot cooling as a backup.
Last May, MIAA completed the second phase of electrical system upgrades at NAIA Terminal 3 which guarantees stable power supply in the terminal.
This allowed MIAA to complete the replacement of deteriorated medium-voltage switchgear components across eight different electrical substations within Terminal 3.
Meanwhile, NAIA’s operation is expected to significantly improve starting September, once San Miguel Corp.-led New NAIA Infra Corp. takes over the operation of the country’s premier terminal.
The new operator will expand the airport passenger terminal’s capacity from 32 million to 60 million and also increase NAIA’s air traffic movement from 40 movements to 48 per hour.
