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MANILA, Philippines -- The government in the Philippines has ordered an air safety audit after a downgrading by US regulators hit its national flag carrier, a senior official said Wednesday.
It follows an announcement by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that it had downgraded the country's ratings from Category 1 to Category 2 to reflect safety concerns.
The revision affects Philippine Airlines (PAL), the only Filipino airline that flies to the United States -- routes which account for 30 percent of its operating revenues.
Among the FAA's concerns were outdated aviation regulations, poor training programs for safety inspectors, and sub-standard licensing for air frame and engine inspectors.
PAL said the FAA downgrade meant it would not be allowed to fly to new US cities or change the type of aircraft used on existing US destinations.
In a statement, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said he had ordered a review into the deficiencies identified by the FAA, and vowed to rectify the problems.
He said the Air Transportation Office, which is responsible for regulating air safety in the Philippines, was working with experts from the International Civil Aviation Organization to address the problems.
Mendoza promised Manila would "tap its available resources" to provide the solutions.
"In effect the ATO has addressed and [is] continuously addressing the other deficiencies as per the FAA safety audit," he said.
He also urged parliament to speed up passage of a bill that would create a Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to replace the ATO.
PAL said Tuesday that the Category 2 rating bars it from increasing its 33 flights a week to the United States and US territories, and from changing the type or increasing the number of aircraft on those routes.
