Mactan Airport Passengers Rerouted as X-Ray Machine Loses Power

The management of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) rerouted passengers of domestic flights to its North Wing after an X-ray machine stationed in the South Wing of Terminal 1 lost power at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, the airport management’s spokesperson said.

Avigael Maningo-Ratcliffe, spokesperson of GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), said the loss of power of the X-ray machine in the South Wing happened when “an electricity supply cable was affected by ongoing renovation works” at the airport.

“Whilst restoration power eventually occurred, a contingency of rerouting the passengers through the North Wing, which has two X-ray machines, was put in place,” said Ratcliffe in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) late Tuesday.

Ratcliffe said GMCAC, the private operator of MCIA, “regrets the inconvenience that passengers faced during this contingency measure.”

However, the airport management has implemented additional measures to prevent a recurrence of operational glitches brought about by the on-going renovation works at the airport.

The management transferred an existing X-ray machine used as a “redundancy measure” at the Terminal 2 to the South Wing of Terminal 1 to reinforce the existing X-ray machines.

“This will now provide for two X-ray machines in each wing,” she said.

The X-ray machines will also be connected to alternate power supplies to ensure that none of the two machines will get affected in case power failure strikes again due to continued renovation works, she added.

“GMCAC assures the travelling public that all possible measures are being taken to prevent the impact of renovation works affecting daily operations,” she said. (PNA)