Blackout at Saipan airport runway

Bundles of wires were damaged in this hand hole at the Saipan International Airport after a fire that broke out last Saturday. The damage caused a blackout of the airport’s runway and taxiway lights, restricting its flights operation to daytime only. (Frauleine Villanueva-Dizon)

According to Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director MaryAnn Lizama, the blackout happened around 6:30pm on Saturday after one of their hand holes caught fire. The airport’s Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting team was able to put out the fire.

A hand hole is a shallow form of manhole where an underground electrical system can be accessed.

“We do not know the cause of it yet, but the fire from that electrical manifold caused the full blackout of the runway, taxiway lights as well as some parts of the apron lights,” Lizama said.

Because there are no lights, nighttime flights are currently unable to operate at the airport.

“We’re not closed; we just can’t fly at night,” Lizama said. “It’s all about safety—no lights, no takeoffs, no landings.”

Delays in the arrival of airplanes usually scheduled to come in at night are expected in the coming days. Some of the airlines that would be affected are Sichuan Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, and China Eastern Airlines.

Four flights were delayed as of Sunday morning.

Lizama said she immediately reached out to acting governor Ralph DLG Torres regarding the problem and they arranged for a team from Guam to assist CPA.

“We are working expeditiously on this to get us back on 24-hour flight ops again,” Lizama said.

At least two more dark nights

Electrician leader Richard Cabrera and electrician Peter Sablan from Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam arrived Sunday morning and immediately assessed the situation.

One more personnel from Guam will be on island today to help with the restoration.

Cabrera said yesterday morning that they were hoping to get 80 percent of the lights working before Sunday night. However, during an update with the airport operators and users committee meeting on Sunday afternoon, Cabrera said they would not be able to do that after seeing the extent of the damage.

“After all the assessment and looking at the other hand holes and man holes, there is no way we can get that,” Cabrera said.

He said about eight pairs of wires need to be replaced—three strands that are 3,000 feet long and four or five strands that are less than 3,000 feet long. Cabrera said they have the material on island to fix the wires.

Aside from the two nights that have already passed, the team is looking at two more nights at least that the taxiway and runway will be dark.

Despite the effects of the limited operations, the fact that there are no flight cancellations is welcome news for Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Perry Tenorio, who also attended the meeting

“The feedback that we got was that none of the flights were cancelled and they are working around the schedule of the operation of the airport to allow them to come here when the airport’s open, so that’s great news,” Tenorio said.

“We’re glad that they are coming in and no passengers are stranded,” he added.