Manila: The United States’ Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has restored the Philippines’ air travel safety compliance rating after six years of being below standard, officials said on Thursday.
Philippines ambassador to the US, Jose Cuisia Jr, reported that the FAA restored the Category 1 rating after finding the country’s air travel safety compliant with international aviation safety standards.
For passengers, this means that the country’s aviation industry in general is on par with the high criterion for safety of that of the United States’ FAA. For Philippine flag carriers this means that they can now operate normally and expand their operations in the US, Cuisia said.
The restoration of the rating comes after recommendations of the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) report in March.
In 2008, the FAA downgraded the Philippines to Category 2 for failing to meet international aviation safety standards.
For its part, the palace welcomed the FAA decision.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said that the decision came after the country met the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“The benefits of this development include greater access to US routes, use of more fuel-efficient planes, and faster growth of the Philippine tourism and aviation sectors,” Coloma said.
“These upgrades in the country’s safety status demonstrate the capability of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to implement institutional reforms,” he added.
He stressed that such reforms ensure that the country’s aviation industry is globally competitive and conforms to international safety standards.
The FAA downgraded the country’s safety rating to Category 2 in January 2008 upon the recommendation of the ICAO. The ICAO had said it had “significant concerns” over CAAP’s ability to meet international safety standards, which could compromise passenger and overall air travel safety.
Being downgraded to Category 2 implies that the country’s aviation industry is either short of laws or lacks regulation necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards.
The Philippines, in recent years, has made improvements to the country’s aviation sector by passing laws that govern the safety of air travel.
Aviation has grown by leaps and bounds in the country as it experienced increasing demand for air travel from the commercial and tourism sector as more routes open up linking local and international destinations.
