The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is investigating the cause of a false fire alarm that briefly affected operations at its Air Traffic Management (ATM) Center early Tuesday.

The alarm was triggered around 1:24 a.m., prompting the activation of emergency protocols and a temporary suspension of departures.

Operations resumed at 2:50 a.m. and all restrictions were lifted by 3:16 a.m.

The aviation authority said 59 commercial and cargo flights experienced delays of around 45 minutes due to the incident, while seven arriving flights were also affected.

CAAP Director General Raul Del Rosario said an internal investigation will be conducted to prevent similar incidents and reiterated the agency’s commitment to maintaining aviation safety.