European Skies Open, USA is Next

Following the successful lifting of a ban preventing Philippine Airlines from flying to Europe, the Philippine government is now focused on upgrading the country's Category 2 status imposed by the Federal Aviation Authority of the United States. 

The United States aviation regulator downgraded the country's aviation safety rating from Category 1 after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines failed to be in compliance with international aviation safety standards following an audit of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Europe followed suit two years later. 

Following the announcement earlier this month that the European Union had granted permission for Philippine Airlines to once again fly to Europe, President Aquino expressed his gratitude to the efforts of the Civil Aviation Authority. Malacañang said that the development would have positive effects on the local aviation industry and the country in general. In addition, the opening of direct routes between the Philippines and Europe would help to boost tourism, enhance competitiveness, and facilitate new investments from Europe. 

While the European ban was only lifted for Philippine Airlines, the Department of Transportation and Communications said that Cebu Pacific will have an opportunity to present a case proving that it is compliant with international safety standards to European officials within the next six months. Cebu Pacific was forced to be excluded from the last review following two aircraft accidents in the month of June. The airline is anticipated to receive an audit in November. Local regulators are confident that Cebu Pacific will pass.

Anticipating the opening of European and American skies for both carriers, both Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have embarked on massive fleet expansion programs and the Civil Aviation Authority will be hiring additional safety inspectors to cope with the planned expansions. 

CAAP inspectors are responsible for performing check rides. The new incoming air inspectors are expected to receive higher salaries to encourage them to join the government agency. The goal is to build a pool of strong air inspectors following the removal from the EU aviation blacklist. 

Meanwhile, the Philippines is anxiously awaiting an announcement from the Federal Aviation Authority in the United States that it will be removed from the blacklist and upgraded back to Category 1. The Philippines has remained in Category 2 status since 2008. 

The Civil Aviation Authority was forced to comply with a number of measures to help ensure that the country's status would be upgraded. John Andrews, Deputy Director General, believes that the FAA will draw a similar positive conclusion as its European counterparts. He stated that the local regulator had addressed a number of safety concerns including:

• Physically tracking down each aircraft registered in the Philippines and obtaining necessary documentation from their respective owners in an effort to stop the illegal practice of cannibalising old aircraft to supply parts to aircraft of the same make still in operation. 
• Updating air-worthiness records on all civilian aircraft in Philippine air space. 
• Paying higher salaries to CAAP inspectors that are triple the previous salary in an effort to resist bribery to certify aircraft as air-worthy. 

Both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific have expressed interest in flights to the United States. Philippine Airlines currently serves Honolulu, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The airline has expressed interest in increasing flights to existing destinations and expanding to new destinations like San Diego and New York. Cebu Pacific does not currently serve any destinations in the United States but is keen to operate flights to Honolulu and Guam.

The Chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, Michael Huerta, is expected to visit the Philippines in August to announce the new aviation safety status of the country. Director General William Hotchkiss said that inspectors of the FAA made a brief visit in July that was expected to last up to two weeks but was cut short citing minimal further work required by the country. The FAA team ended up just staying five days. Hotchkiss noted that while some minor issues were found, all major concerns had been addressed. 

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines remains confident that the country will be upgraded to Category 1 status by the end of 2013 paving the way for Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines to move forward with their expansion plans.