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The Civil Aeronautics Board is once again requiring dangerous goods training for airfreight forwarder applicants
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From April 15, a Certificate of Training in Dangerous Cargo or a certificate of enrolment in a dangerous cargo training is needed when applying for a permit to operate as an international and/or domestic airfreight forwarder
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CAB will also implement a new procedure in issuing the annual certificate and certificate of authority
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has restored a policy requiring dangerous goods training for airfreight forwarder applicants.
In a CAB advisory dated March 29, stakeholders must include starting April 15 a Certificate of Training in Dangerous Cargo or a certificate of enrolment in a dangerous goods cargo training, along with the corresponding official receipt, when applying for an authority to operate as an international and/or domestic airfreight forwarder.
Otherwise, CAB will not accept applications based on Memorandum Circular No. 2 series of 2019 (MC 2-2019). The circular states that only applications with complete and valid requirements will be received for processing, CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said in the advisory.
Arcilla said CAB decided to restore the requirement with the declaration of COVID-19 Alert Level 1. CAB suspended the requirement in June 2020 as the country banned mass gatherings during implementation of community quarantines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Around 200 areas across the country are now under Alert Level 1, the lowest alert level, until April 15.
According to CAB’s website, applications for new permits and for renewal of authority to operate as an airfreight forwarder require a Certificate of Training in Dangerous Cargo of at least one employee.
In the absence of such a certificate, the employee can submit a certificate of enrolment in the Dangerous Cargo Training Course and the original receipt of the enrolment fee, subject to submission of a certificate of completion within three months from the date of issuance.
New procedure for issuing annual certificates
In a related development, CAB in an April 1 advisory said it is implementing a new procedure in issuing annual certificates and certificate of authority as part of its commitment to continuous improvement and as an added measure to ensure provision of quality public service.
The new procedure will require stakeholders to secure clearances from all concerned divisions before paying for their corresponding fees, and they must make the request for clearance online or via walk-in.
A more detailed set of guidelines will be issued, CAB said. – Roumina Pablo
