No more "hot welcome" for visitors at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country's primary gateway.
This, after the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said it is actively working on improving the air conditioning system at NAIA Terminal 3 to address the issue of inadequate cooling.
The airport authority recently purchased new cooling towers to enhance the piping infrastructure and increase the efficiency of the air conditioning system in Terminal 3.
The last phase of installing the six new cooling towers will take place on July 16 to 17, from 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.
During this time, the new cooling tower piping will be connected to the main piping lines of the chiller plant, requiring a temporary shutdown of the centralized cooling system.
During this time, only the fans and blowers of the air conditioning units will be running to circulate air in different areas.
The temperature may not be as comfortable as usual. To address the issue, additional stand-alone air conditioning units will be placed in different parts of the terminal for extra cooling.
Once the new cooling towers are completely integrated into the chilled water system, it is expected that the performance of the air conditioning units will improve and operate more efficiently in the long run.
Only the fans and blowers of the airconditioning units will be operational during this period in order to facilitate air circulation in different areas.
Currently, the perceived temperature may not achieve the desired level of comfort. In order to address this issue, individual air conditioning units will be strategically placed in diffdrent zones of the terminal to provide supplementary cooling as a contingency measure.
Once the new cooling towers are fully integrated into the chilled water system, it is expected that normal and more efficient operation of the air conditioning units will gradually be restored.
MIAA said that during the 12-hour downtime, the following areas will be affected: check-in counters, immigration departure, final security checks for domestic and international flights, baggage carousels for international and domestic arrivals, and the arrival lobby.
Approximately 27,000 arriving and departing passengers on 117 flights may experience discomfort due to reduced air circulation during the 12-hour interruption.
MIAA's medical team will be on high alert and ready to respond to any medical emergency.
MIAA general manager Eric Jose Ines seeks 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 for all airport users," Ines said.
Photo Courtesy: Ninoy Aquino International Airport Fb Page
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