CAAP under very high pressure

Yesterday started the ICAO assessment of CAAP. During 10 days the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will audit the Philippines’ aviation capabilities regarding Safety Standards and Recommended Practices. 

CAAP, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines had had a bad press since it stood up from the ashes of the ATO (former Air Transportation Office) in 2008.

On January 17, 2008, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded the Philippines’ rating to Category 2 from Category 1, since its Air Transportation Office (Philippines) (ATO) did not fully satisfy international safety standards.
The US Embassy in Manila warned US citizens in the Philippines
“to refrain from using Philippine-based carriers due to ‘serious concerns’ about the ATO’s alleged mishandling of the aviation industry.”

EU ambassador Alistair MacDonald said on April 20, 2010:
‘The EU commission considers that the supervisory authority is currently not able to implement and enforce the relevant safety standards, and decided therefore to ban from EU airspace all air carriers licensed in the Philippines until these deficiencies are corrected”.

While CAAP expects that the result on the final audit would bring back the Philippines to its original aviation category 1 status, one of their senior members suffered a fatal heart attack inside his office last week while preparing documents for the aviation audit.