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LOCAL
companies which move shipments by air said they will no
longer use Philippine Airlines (PAL) to handle their
cargo after the national flag carrier suffered
collateral damage from a recent downgrade issued by US
aviation authorities on the
Philippines’
Air Transportation Office.
To avoid
operational disruptions, aircargo firms will look for
carriers which standards conform to international
aviation rules, Jaime Roxas, president of the Aircargo
Forwarders of the Philippines Inc., said last week.
While
the group admitted that it had earlier disagreements
with PAL, it nevertheless expressed support for the
national flag carrier owned by tycoon Lucio Tan. PAL had
been a big casualty in the move of the US Federal
Aviation Administration to downgrade to Category 2
status the Philippine civil-aviation system, because the
downgrade comes with a warning to US citizens against
traveling on Philippine carriers to and from America.
PAL is the only local carrier flying to the
US,
and its trans-Pacific operation had been so lucrative it
had plans to expand such this year.
Still,
Roxas said that air-cargo companies have no choice but
to leave PAL, adding that their members are beginning to
contract services of foreign flag carriers which would
support their operations.
“The
government should address this immediately. Our flag
carrier (PAL) is set to carry the burden of such
downgrade and business from the country, both tourism
and trade, would be transferred and enjoyed by foreign
flag carriers,” Roxas said.
He
declined to say which foreign carriers would benefit
most from the downgrade. “AFPI will continue to evaluate
the situation to address this early any other possible
effects of the downgrade in the movement of air cargo to
and from the US,” he said.
All
stakeholders should help the government comply with the
highest aviation standards and avoid being left out in
trade and tourism, Roxas said.
Earlier,
the group disagreed with the country’s national flag
carrier after it opposed the use of a new airway bill,
as proposed by the International Air Transport
Association.
Last
week, the
United States
downgraded the country’s airports from Category 1 to
Category 2, indicating that Philippine civil aviation
authorities failed to provide safety oversight of its
air carriers in accordance with the minimum standards of
International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao). A
Category 1 rating is given if the country’s aviation
authorities have complied with international
regulations.
The
Philippines only complied with one out of the seven
focused areas. The country failed in civil regulation,
qualified technical personnel, technical guidance,
certification and licensing, continuous oversight, and
resolution of safety issues.
President Arroyo appointed Transportation Secretary
Leandro Mendoza to temporarily head the Ato. He was
given three months to work on the compliance with
Category 1 aviation standards. |
