It may soon be NAIA’s time to shine.
The US Federal Aviation Administration will be conducting an audit of the Philippines that could mean an upgrade to Category 1 from the current Category 2 that Philippine aviation is in. The current classification has become a serious restriction on Philippine carriers flying to the U.S.
The Philippine Star reports Catherine Gonzales, an undersecretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications, has confirmed the Philippines is getting ready for an FAA audit. “The audit will be for the lifting of our Category 2 status. We are very hopeful that we can pass,” Gonzales said in the report.
Preparations are already underway even as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is undergoing rehabilitation.
The planned audit comes after an International Civil Aviation Organization inspection found that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines had adressed “serious safety concerns” ICAO had earlier raised.
The US FAA put the Philippines in Category 2 in 2008 over safety concerns. In 2010, the European Commission banned Philippine carriers from European airspace, also over safety concerns.
