GOVERNMENT meteorologists declared a Lightning Red Alert late Thursday afternoon, halting ramp movement for both personnel and aircraft following safety protocol. This was expected to cause some delays in flight operations as what happened on the evening of June 9.
The latest red alert was declared at 5:17 pm by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
On the night of June 9, when a similar lightning red alert was imposed, delays in flight operations lasted for nearly four hours, prompting President Duterte to visit the Naia complex at 2am Monday to find out what happened.
There, he was told by airline and airport officials that a lightning red alert imposed by Pagasa leads to a freeze in ramp movement, as this was the safety protocol agreed on after the death of a ramp worker struck by lightning a few years ago.
The MIA Authority said on Thursday it was monitoring the situation for contingencies that may be required as a consequence.
