PHL aviation industry passes ICAO audit

The Department of Transportation and Communication on Saturday confirmed that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is set to lift the safety concerns status placed on the country’s aviation industry. After a five-day audit, “Members of the ICAO ICVM (Coordinated Validation Missions) team said that they will be recommending to the ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada the lifting of the Significant Safety Concerns (SSCs) it previously issued to the Philippines," said the DOTC. “The ICAO official announcement on the lifting of the SSCs is expected to be made within two to three weeks’ time,” the emailed statement read. With ICAO’s upgrade, the country “can now focus on regaining the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 rating,” DOTC said. The pending upgrade may be a gateway for Philippine carriers to add new routes and flights to North America. In 2008, the US Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the Philippines' safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2 on ICAO's recommendation. The Category 2 status is issued to the civil aviation authorities of countries that are non-compliant with ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices on international civil aviation safety. “A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with international standards,” the FAA said. With a Category 2 rating, air carriers are still allowed to continue their operations to the US, but under tightened FAA surveillance. — Rouchelle R. Dinglasan/BM, GMA News