The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finally restored the Category 1 rating of the Philippines, paving the way for Philippine flag carriers to expand their operations in the US.
The Category 1 upgrade was announced in Washington by the US aviation regulator. It came six years after the Philippines was downgraded to Category 2 for failing to meet international aviation safety standards.
The announcement also came hours before the expected announcement by the European Union that budget carrier Cebu Pacific would now be allowed to fly into European airspace.
“The return to Category 1 status is based on a March 2014 FAA review of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. A Category 1 rating means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards,” the FAA statement said on April 9.
“With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, the Republic of the Philippines’ air carriers can add flights and service to the United States and carry the code of US carriers,” the FAA said.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. immediately reported the development to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario.
The FAA decided to restore the country’s Category 1 rating based on the recommendations from the International Aviation Safety Assessment report in March.
“Regaining Category 1 status has been one of our major economic diplomacy thrusts in the United States,” Cuisia said.
“With the Category 1 rating, we hope to see the expansion of flight routes in the US by Philippine air carriers. This means opening up more routes for business and tourism travel between the Philippines and the US as well as creating more opportunities for Philippine and American business,” he said.
In Manila, US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg announced the upgrade on his official Twitter account.
“Good news! Philippines compliance with international aviation safety oversight standards earns Category 1 safety rating,” he said.
Goldberg visited the office of CAAP director general William K Hotchkiss lll to inform him that the Philippines has been upgraded to Category 1 effective this morning.
A letter confirming the upgrade from Margaret Gilligan, the Associate Administrator for aviation safety of the US-FAA dated April 9, 2014 was handed over personally by Goldberg to Hotchkiss that will allow Philippine Carriers to mount and add new routes to the United States.
Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya said the upgrade is expected to boost the country’s tourism industry, help airline companies expand their operations, and improve trade and business relations between the US and the Philippines.
“This upgrade cements a landmark era in the Philippine aviation sector. From one major achievement to another in a span of less than 2 years, the country has made great strides in enhancing its aviation industry to one that is at par with the best in the world,” Abaya said.
He said among the benefits of this upgrade are:
- The country’s airlines in addition to flag carrier Philippine Airlines can now fly to the US
- PAL can now use more fuel-efficient planes
- PAL can add new routes to and from the US
- PAL can increase flight frequencies to and from the US
The Civil Aeronautics Board welcomed the ratings upgrade, saying “Other PH carriers that meet operational requirements in terms of equipment and organization may now apply for designation as official PH carriers for the purpose of operating on the PH-US market.
“The lifting is an affirmation of the CAAP’s (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) resolve to show that the PH aviation is at par with international standards, as manifested in the delisting of the PH from the ICAO List of Significant Safety Concern States last year, followed by the lifting of the ban on PH carriers by the EU, and now the restoration of the PH to Category 1 by the FAA.”
The FAA lowered the country’s safety rating to Category 2 in January 2008 upon the recommendation of the ICAO, which had found “significant concerns” over CAAP’s ability to meet international safety standards.
A category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards or that its civil aviation authority is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping or inspection procedures.
As a result of the downgrade, local carriers such as Philippine Airlines were barred from expanding their routes in the US as well as in taking part in reciprocal code-share arrangements with American carriers.
