Phl aviation needs 'minor' corrections before audit - CAAP

MANILA, Philippines - The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said “minor issues need to be rectified” before the country’s civil aviation system can be ready for an actual audit.

“The technical review is meant to prepare us for the IASA (International Aviation Safety Assessment) audit. Minor issues need to be rectified. We ask questions and they provide answers and recommendations. In the actual audit, there will be no questions. It’s either pass or fail,” said CAAP director general Ramon Gutierrez Saturday.

The government is intent on regaining Category 1 status under the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration after the FAA downgraded the country’s aviation industry to Category 2 in 2008, citing significant safety, oversight and management shortcomings. The downgrade meant that Philippine carriers could not get more flights to the US.

The country was then put under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Universal Oversight Audit Program and placed on the European Union’s blacklist in 2009.

A team of inspectors from the US FAA conducted a technical review of the capabilities of the CAAP. Gutierrez said the CAAP will wait for the official report of the US FAA before the agency invites them to conduct an audit.

CAAP deputy director general Abner Bondoc said they were assured by US FAA technical review team leader Jacques Astre that the CAAP is “on the right track” and “should be given support by the government.”