CAAP optimistic EU will open airspace to more local carriers soon
European skies could soon open up to more of the country’s carriers with the European Union (EU) poised to announce on Thursday the results of its recent air safety assessment on seven airline firms.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the announcement of the EU’s updated air safety list will be made on Thursday night through phone patch from Brussels in Belgium.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said that the aviation authority has been looking forward to positive reviews from the EU, which sent in April a five-man team of experts from the European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency.
Apolonio pointed out that a positive feedback on the country’s safety oversight system for air carriers as well as the compliance of local airline firms with aviation safety regulations would mean more of the country’s air carriers on European airspace.
Currently, only two local commercial airlines — flag carrier Philippine Airlines and budget airline Cebu Pacific — are allowed to fly over Europe.
The ban on PAL was lifted in July, 2013 and on Cebu Pacific soon after when the EU noted serious efforts to address air safety concerns.
The EU blacklisted Philippine carriers in 2010 after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) classified the country’s aviation industry as a “significant safety concern” when CAAP failed to meet and enforce international safety standards. The EU blacklist remained although the ICAO removed the classification after finding that CAAP had instituted necessary reforms.
