Lawmakers seek immediate solution to flight delays

MANILA, Philippines - Two members of the House of Representatives  believe the government must immediately solve the perennial flight delays linked to congestion in air traffic following the aviation industry’s upgrade to Category 1 status by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

“We should not be complacent and we should invest in physical infrastructure as well as other systems not only to maintain our new Category 1 status but to improve further. We still have a long way to go compared to other airports in the world,” Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos said.

The House committee on tourism chairman said the administration has an ambitious target of having 10 million tourist arrivals by 2016.

The upgrade will hopefully reduce negative comments, he added.

Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said one factor adding to the bottlenecks at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport are planes under general aviation.

“There are times when planes are forced to fly longer than they should because of overcrowding in the runways,” he said.

“The problem is aggravated when planes not operated by airlines or the military budge their way to the runway lineup.

“I urge concerned agencies especially the DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications) to find short-term solutions to the problems. I suggest general aviation planes be relocated.” 

The House committee on tourism vice chairman said air traffic congestion affects economic activities as it stifles not only the movement of passengers and tourists but of goods and services as well.

“It is therefore crucial to address this problem in order to draw in foreign investors, who want to make sure there is a speedy and efficient system of transportation before they set up shop here,” he said.