Does FAA not know how to plan a technical mission? Why do they have to cancel on such a short notice the audit? Does FAA not know what they are doing or is it just another lame excuse of CAAP like in the past?
Initial air safety review moved to January 2012 | BusinessWorld Online Edition
Initial air safety review moved to January 2012
THE US Federal Aviation Authority’s (FAA) preliminary review of the Philippine aviation industry has been moved back a month to January next year, a development that comes after the European Union added two more local carriers to a blacklist for not complying with safety standards.
“FAA has requested to reschedule it to a month later ... so it will be in January. They weren’t able to organize a complete team to send to the Philippines,” Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director General Ramon S. Gutierrez said.
A date for the actual audit has yet to be scheduled.
The government invited the FAA to conduct the review hopes of obtaining a rating upgrade that would allow local carriers to expand their operations to the US. Mr. Gutierrez claimed his office was “confident” the country had satisfied all requirements.
“Yes, we are confident [that we will get a rating upgrade]. Still, audits are subjective. We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Mr. Gutierrez said.
The FAA downgraded the Philippines to “category 2” in 2008 after a safety audit in November 2007, preventing Philippine carriers from expanding operations. Flag carrier Philippine Airlines is presently the only one flying to the US.
The Philippines has since passed Republic Act 9497 or the Civil Aviation Authority Act of 2008, which aims to upgrade local aviation standards.
Mr. Gutierrez said that following the FAA audit, the government plans to invite the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union (EU) to do their own reviews. The ICAO designated the country as a “significant safety concern” in December 2009. The EU in 2010 blacklisted all Philippine carriers. On Monday, the EU announced that it was adding two local airlines to the list along with carriers from other countries. -- K. A. Martin