<span style="color: #222222;">In the Philippines, authorities halted flights in and out of Manila on New Year's Day due to a malfunction of air traffic control, which also prevented airlines bound for other destinations from using the country's airspace. This led to a disruption of nearly 300 flights and left tens of thousands of travellers stranded in the Southeast Asian hub.<br />''<br />''Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the main gateway for travellers to the Philippines, serving the capital Manila and the surrounding region.<br />''<br />''Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista apologized for the inconvenience to passengers. He said, the outdated existing facility should be upgraded immediately and a backup system was also needed.<br />''<br />''The Airport Authority scrambled to resume full services on Monday. It said the airport was handling a maximum of 15 flights per hour on Monday morning, down from the usual 20. Several of the airport's four terminals were crowded, with long queues of people trying to re-book flights while other weary passengers slept on chairs or on the floor.</span><br />