Mendoza: RP to comply with FAA standards in 3 months
He also said the President has ordered him to make available all the resources of the DOTC to address the deficiencies found by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the ATO’s compliance of international safety standards.
Malacañang had said it has taken steps to address the problem by appointing Mendoza, who was given by the President three months to address the technical and administrative issues raised by the FAA.
“The Air Transportation Office could regain its category 1 status with the passage of the bill into law that would allow us to offer competitive salaries because we have fiscal autonomy and the technical people would be exempted from the Salary Standardization Law,”
While the bill is pending in Congress,
He said ATO would offer competitive salaries for pilots and air controllers but did not say how much the agency is offering.
“The government can come up with resources needed but the ATO needs Congress’ legislation so we can proceed with the training of check-pilots and airworthiness inspectors.”
The ATO has only 12 check-pilots and needs 32 more, plus 27 airworthiness inspectors, 25 airline inspectors (who are all pilots) and 300 air controllers.
He said it would be easy to hire pilots but having them undergo simulator training would take some time. Each pilot pays $500 per hour of training at a maximum of four hours so that the total amount the ATO has to pay for the 12 check pilots would be $24,000 (P1.2 million).
“But that is only for one type of airplane,” Mendoza added, saying that the requirement is to have one certified pilot of each type of airplane, such as B737, B777, B747 and Airbus family of A319, A320, A300, A340, not counting the dozens of smaller types of airplanes owned by private flying schools, executive jets and charter services.
“Once the CAAP bill is signed in February, we will reorganize the ATO and fill up the plantilla,”
However, he said those now employed but could not meet qualifications would be dismissed and replaced with more competent ones.
At the end of three months, if the ATO feel they have hired the necessary pilots and technical personnel and its documentation has been computerized, they would call on the FAA to subject them to another inspection.
In a related development, a group of ATO executives has started a campaign to urge the President to reinstate their former director, retired Air Force commanding general Gen. Nilo Jatico, to the local aviation industry regulatory agency.
In a manifesto addressed to the President, several heads of the ATO’s division and regional offices called for the reappointment of Jatico, who resigned last October 2007 as DOTC assistant secretary after failing to liquidate cash advances amounting to P1.5 million.
Meanwhile, US Embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson said there was no politics involved in US Ambassador Kristie Kenney’s absence during the traditional vin d’honneur reception hosted by President Arroyo in Malacañang over the weekend. Thompson said and it has nothing to do with the downgrading by US authorities of the Philippine aviation safety oversight rating. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Marvin Sy
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