US FAA set to validate Phl audit results

MANILA, Philippines - A team from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is due to arrive next week to validate the results of an audit conducted last January on Philippine compliance with aviation safety.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the FAA team, headed by division manager for Flights Standards Service John Barbagallo, will arrive on March 26.

“The FAA will have a validating visit on March 26 with Mr. Barbagallo coming over. Let’s wait for that,” Abaya said.

John Andrews, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), however, refused to comment on the outcome of the mini-audit conducted by the FAA last January.

“Let us just wait for the official announcement,” he said.

For his part, CAAP’s Rodante Joya also clarified there is no official pronouncement yet on the results of the FAA audit.

“The results of the audit (by FAA technical team) including additional corrective actions undertaken shall be validated by FAA higher officials next week and results are expected to be officially released in April,” Joya said.

Aviation officials issued the statement after the FAA posted the results of the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program of the FAA Flight Standards Service where the Philippines was still ranked under Category 2.

The US FAA downgraded the safety rating of CAAP in 2008 to Category 2 from Category 1 following the recommendation of the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).