The cooling system of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 was shut down before Friday noon due to a malfunction as passengers surged at the start of four-day holiday, announced by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) on Friday.

In a radio interview, MIAA spokesperson Chris Noel Bendijo said ''they were constrained to shut down'' as high operational temperature was felt from three chillers 1, 2, and 4.

“It is dangerous if we just ignore it, so our (MIAA) general manager Eric Ines decided to temporarily shut down the chillers.” he said.

Bendijo said they expect to restore Terminal 3 cooling system Saturday morning and temperature levels are expected to return to normal.

Authorities inspected the chillers and did deep cleaning procedures such as descaling and swabbing, based on a report by the MIAA.

It was the second time in a month that the airconditioning system in Terminal 3 was shut down.

On July 15 the MIAA announced a 12-hour aircon shutdown in Terminal 3 to install new cooling towers.

Bendijo said the chiller that malfunctioned is different from the cooling towers they recently installed in the terminal.

With only one functioning chiller, the MIAA deployed cooling fans in some areas of Terminal 3 to make passengers and employees comfortable.

“We are praying for the understanding of our T3 users. We are humbly asking them to dress lightly, bring their own fans, and hydrate while the troubleshooting is ongoing.” he said Marie Manalili/DMS