OPERATIONS of air cargo carriers are unaffected by recurring problems in navigational equipment at the country’s main airport, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
“We’ve managed to depart on time with no cargo payload limit whatsoever,” Jerry Calaluan, Global Cargo Council, Inc (GCCI) president, told PortCalls. Calaluan is also cargo sales manager of Philippine Airlines.
Other carriers and major logistics service providers, particularly members of the GCCI and the Philippine Chamber of Air Express Operators, including Federal Express, also said they do not consider technical issues facing NAIA alarming.
NAIA’s navigational system recently conked out, forcing cancellation of flights taking off at the NAIA and diversion of some to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The system has been fixed temporarily using modules borrowed from the Subic International Airport.
Earlier, the Manila International Airport Authority said it does not expect the glitch to hinder the country’s campaign to restore its aviation industry Category I status.
About two years ago, the US Federal Aviation Authority (US FAA) downgraded the country’s aviation industry to Category II, citing safety concerns. In February this year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) followed suit, also citing safety issues.
The US FAA and ICAO have yet to issue their safety satisfaction ratings for the Philippine aviation industry.
