MANILA, Philippines - Hundreds of passengers of Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Zest Air, especially those on their way back to Manila after a weekend on the white sand beaches of Boracay, were stranded overnight when a runway problem caused the closure of the Kalibo airport yesterday afternoon.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) to all three airlines operating flights at the Kalibo airport informing them of the closure of the airport from 4 p.m. yesterday until 7 a.m. today.
According to the NOTAM, the reason for the closure was “damaged asphalt” at the runway.
The airport’s closure stranded all passengers departing from Kalibo airport, mostly foreign and local tourists who came from the world-famous resort island of Boracay.
Michelle de Guzman, Cebu Pacific corporate communications manager, said they had two extra flights yesterday to accommodate the passengers of their three Manila-bound flights affected by the airport closure.
Cebu Pacific had seven flights from Manila to Kalibo and their returning flights, and one flight from Cebu to Kalibo and its returning flight that were cancelled.
Philippine Airlines had three flights cancelled while another Kalibo-bound flight from Manila, PR 323, was diverted to the Iloilo International Airport from which it was made to fly back to Manila.
Zest Air cancelled three Kalibo-bound flights.
PAL and Cebu Pacific had diverted their flights to and from Caticlan airport, the alternative gateway to Boracay, to Kalibo airport after airport authorities made changes in the operating conditions at the Caticlan airport.
Caticlan is the nearest airport to Boracay while the bigger Kalibo airport is about two hours’ drive from Caticlan.
PAL complained of the landing weight limitations while Cebu Pacific criticized the changes on airport operations imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
The CAAP designated the Caticlan airport as a one-way airport, which means take-off should be towards the sea, and landing in the opposite direction.
This essentially shortens the portion of the airport runway that could be used. These changes were made after a Zest Air flight overshot the runway of Caticlan airport last month.
PAL and Cebu Pacific said that they would shoulder the land transfer cost from Kalibo to Caticlan for passengers who have original bookings for Caticlan.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Boracay Runway Problems
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
One Runway, Many Problems at NAIA
IT is well that Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Alfonso Cusi has given “additional guidance” to the Naia Time Slotting Committee to give priority to review the scheduling of small-aircraft flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), in light of recurring problems of runway congestion that aggravate an already problematic situation for aviation in general.
Cusi recently asked Gen. Ruben Ciron, chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), “to consider the utilization of Naia’s domestic runway, runway 13-31, during daytime for aircraft weighing 25,000 kilograms and below.”
He explained the rationale for the decision: “Aircraft like these are usually owned by operators at our general aviation, therefore, would be most logical to make them use the domestic runway for landing and takeoff. In so doing, we can maximize the use of the international runway for commercial operations.”
The Philippines is the only Asian country that has only one international runway (runway 24) at its premier airport, thus disrupting so many international flights when even just a single incident occurs on that runway.
In the latest incident, Cusi reported that at about 8 p.m. on Sunday, a Westwind-II aircraft with registry number N-911GU aborted takeoff at Naia’s international runway after the pilot noticed smoke emanating from its left wheel. Rescue teams were quickly deployed to the site, but heavy rains delayed their work.
But whether the rains are pouring or not, the fact that there’s only one international runway is a real constraint.
Disruptions to flights owing to this congestion compound the already problematic situation in general, as this paper’s aviation reporter, Recto Mercene, had long been writing about. As a result, air-traffic control has to use a “bag of tricks” in order to ensure the safety of all flights going into and out of Manila, i.e., imposing longer separation times between flights during peak seasons or holidays like Christmas and New Year. Again, the bottom line: Flights are delayed because—rightly so—air-traffic controllers must pick safety over convenience.
But the point is that if the necessary hardware are budgeted for and actually installed, so many of the problems faced by aviation personnel could be reduced. For instance, in Sunday night’s fiasco, it turns out the air ambulance was not an exception: Small aircraft are routinely deployed to runway 24 (the sole international runway) because domestic runway 13-31 cannot be used after sundown. The excuse: It’s “not an instrument runway,” and can only be used for visual flight rules. Sources said efforts to install an instrument system at runway 13-31 ran into technical snags a few years ago, and no one, it seems, has bothered to review the problem.
And, speaking of personnel, it’s been nearly a year since Congress passed the CAAP law, but the latest word is that reforms to boost staffing morale and competence are proceeding slowly. The problem of getting, training and keeping competent airmen is thus something that won’t go away soon.
Taken together, these persistent problems are bound to affect our status as an aviation center—or derail hopes to reverse the dismal Category 2 status imposed by international bodies.
Reacting to Cusi’s move to review the runway slotting system, MIAA Airport Development and Corporate Affairs Assistant General Manager Tirso Serrano was quoted saying: “This move is intended to likewise increase terminal capacities for Naia Terminals 1, 2 and 3. With the recent opening of NAIA Terminal 3, we have increased our potential to 32 million passengers a year.” Between that potential and fruition is a wide chasm that requires, among others: the political will and a clear, unified vision among turf-conscious aviation agencies, and the budget to obtain crucial hardware and pay aviation personnel salaries they deserve.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Chemtrad plane found
Officials say the wreckage of a light plane that had been missing for two weeks has been found in a northern Philippine jungle and that none of the seven Filipinos on board survived.
Regional police commander Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian says searchers found the 10-seater BN Islander on Tuesday on a thickly forested mountain outside Baggao township in Cagayan province.
The plane, owned by ChemTrad Aviation Corp., left the provincial capital of Cagayan on April 2 on a 35-minute flight to Maconacon township in nearby Isabela province.
Damian said Wednesday that helicopters were dropping supplies and equipment to the search teams to help them recover the remains of the victims from the remote area.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Civil Aviation pressed to restore US confidence
This developed after the United States’ Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) included the country on the list of 21 countries under the restrictive Category 2.
Robert Lim Joseph, chairman emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas), said CAA’s action is crucial because Category 2 restricts flights to the US, thus putting on hold any plan by Philippine air carriers to expand and modernize their fleet.
Rep. Monico Puentevella fast-tracked the creation of CAA on March 5, 2008, to replace the Air Transportation Office (ATO) following FAA’s verdict that “the Philippines is an unsafe port of origin.”
In downgrading the country in January last year from the higher safety and security rating in Category 1 to Category 2, the FAA cited “failure to provide safety oversight of its air carrier operators in accordance with safety oversight standards set by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” a United Nations organization
Joseph said Category 2 is very onerous, citing a provision that prevents airlines from changing an aircraft for a better one, notwithstanding that the replacement is made by a tested and trusted American company.
He said President Gloria Arroyo gave CAA a marching order to resolve the Category 2 problem within 90 days, but there has not been any development since the directive was issued a year ago.
“What has happened to CAA? What is the status of the safety upgrades?” Naitas wanted to know. “There is no update,” Joseph said.
He said the bigger problem in not getting a higher safety rating is that Europe and other countries could follow the action of the US FAA, endangering further the growth of Philippine civil aviation.
He said one reason CAA has not made any major move to reinstate the Philippines to Category 1 might be due to its lack of representative from private stake-holders. Moreover, there are not enough knowledgeable people in the agency who can address and resolve the problem, he added.
“There should be somebody in the CAA board who understands air safety, security and airline operations,” Joseph said.
He suggested that CAA should tap the private sector for experienced airline executives who can help with the necessary improvements that would remove the obstacles for the country’s return to Category 1.
He said Congress could use its oversight function and find out how the law that created CAA is being implemented and what the agency is now doing to solve problems in civil aviation.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Philippine Air Safety Records
Philippine air safety records kept by the FAA show that the Philippines has a number one rating(out of 2). Records kept since 1945 show that there have been a total of 67 fatal occurances with 1118 fatal casualties. The data is interesting to look at for several reasons, for relic devotees, it gives dates and approximate locations for all accidents, as well as the type of aircraft. DC-3's take the number one spot for crashed type. Since the DC-3 was a stable flyer, this may speak to the sheer numbers of them here after WW II.
The data are indicative of the higher standards met by the Philippines as compared to other developing nations. Here is a link.
Aviation Safety
