Air Travel to RP Remains Safe - Gaa
22 January 2008 – Philippine Ambassador to the
United States, Willy C. Gaa, assured the traveling public that despite
the Federal Aviation Administration’s move to shift the Philippines from
Category 1 to Category 2, travel to and from the Philippines remains
safe.
“I would like to assure the traveling public that air travel to the
Philippines remains safe and secure,” Ambassador Gaa said today. He
added that “all necessary precautions are continually being undertaken
by Philippine transportation and civil aviation officials in order to
maintain the safety travel records of Philippine air carriers.”
Ambassador Gaa also noted that the country’s flag-carrier, Philippine
Airlines, will continue to service its existing US routes, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Las Vegas via Vancouver, Honolulu and Guam. The FAA
ruling does not however render judgement on the overall safety and
maintenance record of an airline operating to and from the Philippines.
The Philippine Air Transportation Office has likewise assured the public
that it is “taking all necessary corrective measures” to return the
Philippines to Category 1 status. “Towards this end,” Ambassador Gaa
said, “President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the release of
PhP110 million for the upgrade of the Philippines’ ATO.” President
Arroyo issued the directive during a Cabinet meeting in Malacañang about
an hour before she left for a seven-day trip to Switzerland and Dubai on
21 January 2008.
The President’s directive is aimed at improving ATO’s regulatory
functions “focused on strictly implementing aviation regulations,
upgrading its technical guidance systems, employment of highly qualified
technical personnel, licensing and certification, surveillance and the
proper resolution of safety issues.” Ambassador Gaa further stated that
in addition to the supplemental funds for the ATO, the President has
urged Congress to expedite passage of a measure creating the Civil
Aviation Authority to allow the country to regain its previous safety
rating.
The US FAA downgraded the Philippines from Category 1 to Category 2 on
January 4, 2008. Category 2 countries are considered by the FAA as those
not compliant with ICAO standards – does not provide safety oversight of
its air carrier operators in accordance with the minimum safety
oversight standards established by the ICAO. This means is that under
Category 2, Philippine airport facilities would be operating at current
levels under “heightened FAA surveillance.” Furthermore, according to
FAA rules, under Category 2 “expansion or changes in services to the
United States by…carriers are not permitted while in category 2,
although new services will be permitted if operated using aircraft
wet-leased from a duly authorized and properly supervised US carrier or
a foreign air carrier from category 1 country that is authorized to
serve the United States using its own aircraft.” END