CAAP keeping closer watch on airlines for violations

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is closely monitoring foreign and local airlines for violations in its efforts to get the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to lift its ban on local airlines' mounting additional flights to the US.
 
According to records from the regulator’s Flight Operations Department (FOD), the CAAP is investigating two South Korean airlines for violations of Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations (PCAR). The CAAP refused to identify the two companies while the investigations are ongoing.

The CAAP also fined two pilots of Air Busan Co. Ltd. $1,500 each for violation of operational requirements and failure to adhere to air traffic control clearances under the PCAR.
 
Last month, the CAAP suspended the two pilots of the Cebu Pacific flight that skidded off the runway of Davao International Airport, resulting in the airport's closure for two days.

ICAO audit

In 2008, the FAA downgraded the Philippines' safety rating to Category 2 due to safety and management issues upon the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

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. Airlines under Category 2 may not add new routes to the US.

But Philippine aviation authorities are now confident that the FAA's ban could be lifted as early as August, as the country passed the ICAO audit in February.

Earlier this month, Philippine Airlines was allowed back into European airspace three years after the European Commission imposed a ban on Philippine carriers from flying to and from the European Union after the Philippines failed to comply with international safety standards.

While Philippine Airlines can now resume flights to Europe, the ban is still imposed on other local carriers. — BM, GMA News