THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) expects the Philippines to soon be taken off the aviation safety blacklist in Europe and North America.
CAAP has been working on an upgrade since the United States Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) in 2008 downgraded the country’s status from Category I to Category II, citing safety issues. In addition, the EU and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) blacklisted the industry also due to safety concerns.
CAAP director general Alfonso Cusi said the country has already satisfied 46 out of the 64 required upgrades of the US FAA. “This is good. We are ready for them,” he said.
Earlier, a group of safety representatives from the US FAA visited the country to determine the industry’s compliance with safety standards.
Next month, it will be the ICAO’s turn to send a team. In October, the European Air Safety Agency will send its own.
The US FAA downgrade has, among other things, hampered expansion of services by Philippine Airlines to the United States.
