Philippines again blacklisted – scrap CAAP
The Philippines are again blacklisted by the Europe Union. The ban not only hits some Philippine’s Airlines but anything flying certified by the CAAP. The EU writes:
All air carriers certified by the authorities with responsibility for regulatory oversight of the Philippines ARE SUBJECT TO A BAN WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION.
Short: Everything certified by CAAP is banned!
After the preliminary visit of the US FAA and their negative verdict (the Philippines remain in Category 2), the European Union has published their “LIST OF AIR CARRIERS OF WHICH ALL OPERATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO A BAN WITHIN THE EU”. This list can be downloaded at the end of this article.
CAAP is not a bit better than its predecessor ATO, the Air Transportation Office. Republic Act No. 9497 of 2008 did nothing else than rename the old ATO into a new CAAP. The same lazy business continued.
The same game continued: projects, promises and potholes. CAAP says that only 23 issues out of 65 still remain. But what is more important: Working approach radars or clean toilets? What saves more lives: New uniforms or a tough pilot’s check-up?
Establish priorities gentlemen! Do not polish the varnish, but overhaul the engine!
Scrap CAAP!
If you want the Philippines Airline Industry to become again credible:
Create an entirely new authority with honestly paid, independent specialists. Build a firewall between airports, airlines, politicians and the new authority or even betwen all of them. Allow no money to flow through the firewall, only the president himself pays.
And no, do not take a ferry instead of a flight. Ferries are even worse. If weather remains as well as it is now, we have a small chance that this year no overcrowded ferry capsizes or sinks during the Holly week.
European Union Airline Ban List 
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How long has this breakdown in the Air Traffic Control radar been going on, and how much longer is it expected to last? It is definitely unsafe, and surely the airlines are putting a lot of pressure to get the delays shortened. Until it is fixed, their schedules need changing, with some flight cancelations.
Also, now that the nine year legal case over NAIA construction has been settled, when will they start to play Musical Terminals with the national and international airlines, so that the passenger might know which Terminal for which flight???
Don’t scrap CAAP but take responsibilities away from CAAP. A Civil Aviation Authority should be a regulator and not also an operator of airports, air traffic systems and an investigator. CAAP is all of this and therefore they are operator, prosecutor and judge in one body.
Further, if CAAP becomes only the regulator, the other areas of operation can be addressed more effectively and CAAP can then inspect and close airports or air navigation facilities if they find them unsafe.
And don’t forget: Corruption in CAAP exists because the people in that office earn just 1/10 of what flight and airworthiness inspectors earn in other countries. So the temptation “to sell” aviation safety is getting very high. But you cannot buy aviation safety, you have to create it and not just on paper!
I almost fully agree with Dodong.
When I wrote “scrap CAAP” I exactly meant what you wrote: Cut CAAP into pieces, so they can concentrate on their main-business as a regulator.
The government of the Philippines should go around again. The problems are known, the procedures are known and the fellowships are known.
CAAP had a chance to get out of that mess when they had the former NAIA GM as their Director General but he resigned cause PNoy didn’t like him. Since that time it go down faster and faster!
Once other countries will ban Philippine carriers aside from Europe, the shit will hit the fan but then it will be too late!
Sure?
FAA downgraded the Philippines to category 2 in 2008. P-Noy has been elected in 2010. A gap of 2 years where nothing useful happened.
Also the EU banned the Philippines’ airlines befor P-Noy took over. The EU banned the Philippines in April 2010 on the basis of a safety assessments by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in September 2009.
Can you please provide harder arguments than P-Noy’s dislike of the former CAAP Director General?
Read here:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101221-310214/Cusi-resigns-from-civil-aviation-body
“I hereby tender my irrevocable resignation as Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines effective 31 December 2010,” Cusi said in a December 20 letter to President Aquino.
“The circumstances of my appointment have been politicized by certain quarters and consequently, have cast doubts on my integrity and management competence,” he said.
Cusi, an appointee of the Arroyo administration, was protected by a fixed term of office, but in recent months had come under fire from an unfriendly board of directors and CAAP’s mother agency, the Department of Transportation and Communication.
Cusi’s term would have ended on 2014. His replacement is expected to be former Air Force Col. Ramon Gutierrez.