By Recto L. Mercene
THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) will hire at least 500 air-traffic controllers (ATCs) in the next five years, as the satellite-based Communication, Navigation, Surveillance-Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) system starts operations next year.
Caap said there would be a higher demand for ATCs, as soon as the P13.25-billion project is installed by December this year. Full utilization of the next-generation air-traffic and communication system is expected by May 2017. Presently, Caap is undermanned with a total country-wide complement of 736. Some 60 applicants who passed Caap’s highly technical and academic tests have undergone training. The agency will continue hiring people to complete the ATC work force, Caap said.
This long-delayed project was initially envisioned to be operational in 2010, but was delayed owing to various constraints.
The satellite-based CNS-ATM technology, which has been in use for decades in some parts of the world, aims to provide a seamless, global air-traffic management system which will enable aircraft to meet their planned time of arrival and departure by adhering to preferred flight routes with minimum constraints and without compromising standard levels of safety.
The system it replaced was called Eurocat and had been operational since 1996. It was upgraded recently at a cost of P159.9 million. This system was inaugurated at the airways facilities complex at Caap central office in Old Miaa Road, Pasay City, in the presence of Director General William K. Hotchkiss lll and Deputy Director General for Operations Rodante Joya; Raymond Lions, branch manager of Thales Australia Ltd. Philippine office; Roger Ferrari of Pacific Hemisphere Development; and other officials.
The CNS-ATM employs digital technology, including satellite systems, together with various levels of automation.
It is expected that once fully operational, Philippine aviation would be able to provide airline companies improved levels of safety, overall efficiency and capacity of airspace resulting in minimize fuel consumption.
Air-traffic congestion, now experienced regularly in Philippine skies, would be a thing of the past, Caap said.
It is also envisioned to increase the availability of user-preferred flight schedules.
“This system will put the country at par with the rest of the world,” Caap said in a press release.
The soon-to-be-completed facility is at the Caap compound in Pasay City.
On Tuesday Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, Hotchkiss and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhide Ishikawa toured the imposing building housing the CNS-ATM.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) said the ÂĄ22.049-million project is expected to complete the installation of all associated facilities by May 2017.
Package 1 of the CNS-ATM project was awarded to a joint venture of Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. and Thales Australia Ltd. (formerly Thomson-CSF). The package involves the installation of the latest Eurocat system with an integrated Digital Voice Control System, Aeronautical Information System, Automated Message Handling System, Aeronautical Telecommunications Network Router, Global Navigation Satellite System monitoring and metrological systems.
Package 2 includes the installation of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Ground Station, En-route Radar (Secondary Surveillance Radar Mode-S), Terminal Radar (Airport Surveillance Radar/Secondary Surveillance Radar), VHF Terminal and Remote Control Air-Ground Communications facility, Microwave link and Very Small Aperture Terminal.