Philippine airlines barred for 'serious safety non-compliance'
The European Union this week banned all airlines in the Philippines from flying into the EU, citing "serious and persistent non-compliance" with the EU bloc's air safety rules. European Commission spokeswoman for transport affairs Helen Kearns told a press conference in Brussels the ban is “because of serious and persistent non-compliance of the civil aviation authorities in terms of overseeing and checks on aircraft."

In terms of airline safety, the EU ban puts the Philippines in the same category as Sudan and Iran Air, the latter two being notorious for aircraft crashes.

The ban doesn’t directly affect Philippine Airline (or any other Philippines-based airline), since PAL stopped flights to Europe nearly a decade ago. However, the blacklisting increases pressure on them to improve safety as European citizens and others could be discouraged from taking their flights, Helen Kearns said.

The EU's blacklist, which is regularly updated, contains the names of about 200 airlines or companies which are either banned from operating in Europe or only allowed under strict restrictions. Most of the airlines involved operate out of Africa, mainly in Angola, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Swaziland.

This myPH article headed "EU bans Philippine airlines" has clearly stirred up a hornet's nest. Just a few hours after we published the article today, three statements arrived by email - from the EU Ambassador in Manila, Alistair MacDonald; then from Philippine Airlines; then from Airphil Express (the newly rebranded PAL subsidiary).

For the record, I'll run the statements here in full, unedited, in a separate posting for each statement...

Statement by EU Ambassador Alistair MacDonald

Yesterday in Brussels, the European Commission adopted the latest update of the list of air carriers subject to an operating ban within the European Union. Among a number of new measures included in this update, it was decided to ban all air carriers certified in the Philippines from entering EU airspace. The decision was published today [March 31, 2010], and will take effect tomorrow.

This decision followed on the announcement by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in October 2009 of a Significant Safety Concern relating to the oversight functions carried out by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and on the earlier downgrading of the Philippines' safety rating by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

In Manila, EU Ambassador Alistair MacDonald said that "the European Commission has been in discussion on these matters with the CAAP since April 2008, and acknowledges the recent efforts launched by the CAAP to reform the civil aviation system in the Philippines and the steps undertaken to address the safety deficiencies reported by FAA and ICAO. The Commission also recognises the measures taken by Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to ensure the safety of their operations."

The Ambassador added however that "in view of the Significant Safety Concern identified by ICAO in relation to the supervisory authority and pending the implementation of adequate corrective actions, including those drawn up in response to our concerns in 2008 but not yet implemented, the Commission considers that the supervisory authority is currently not able to implement and enforce the relevant safety standards, and decided therefore to ban from EU airspace all air carriers licensed in the Philippines until these deficiencies are corrected."

Yesterday's decision reflected the unanimous opinion of the EU's Air Safety Committee at its meeting in Brussels on 17-19 March. This Committee brings together air-safety experts from all 27 EU Member-States, as well as from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, EASA and Eurocontrol.

CAAP Director-General Alfonso Cusi participated in that meeting, and was able to inform the Committee of the steps which he had taken, since his appointment earlier that month, to redress the safety performance of the Philippines. Also participating in the meeting were senior representatives of Cebu Pacific and of Philippine Airlines, who briefed the Committee on their own measures to enhance safety.

In announcing its decision, the European Commission noted that the immediate concrete actions taken by the new management of CAAP demonstrated the willingness of the Philippines to address quickly the identified safety deficiencies, and to pave the way for their successful resolution without delay.

The Commission confirmed also that it is ready to support the efforts of the Philippines wherever possible, and is ready to examine any information demonstrating progress in the implementation of corrective actions and compliance with international safety standards. This support could include an expert visit to review the safety performance of the major operators and the oversight exercised by the CAAP, with a view to reconsidering the operating ban in the near future.

Statement by Philippine Airlines

Philippine Airlines is gravely concerned over the recent decision of the European Commission (EC) banning all Philippine carriers from operating in member-states of the European Union (EU).

Despite the unfortunate inclusion of PAL and all other local carriers in the EC blacklist – which is a direct consequence of the downgrade of the Philippine government’s aviation safety rating – PAL would like to assure the riding public that safety remains the bedrock of PAL’s operations. It has always been the flag carrier’s policy to ensure that its passengers fly with the full assurance of safety and comfort.

PAL laments that the EC decision came about notwithstanding PAL’s safety record, as borne out by its compliance with internationally accepted safety standards, including the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and audits by major foreign aviation regulatory authorities. For four consecutive years since 2006, PAL is the only IOSA-certified Philippine carrier.

Two recent events led to the inclusion of Philippine carriers in the EC ban, namely: 1) the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision in January 2008 downgrading the Philippines’ safety rating to Category 2; and 2) the “significant safety concern” alert issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in November 2009 against Philippine aviation safety regulators.

But despite the Philippines’ Category 2 rating, it must be noted that the U.S. FAA continues to allow PAL to operate up to 33 regular weekly flights from the Philippines to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Las Vegas and Guam. PAL safely flies thousands of passengers, including U.S. citizens, across the Pacific Ocean on a regular and reliable basis in compliance with stringent U.S. safety regulations.

PAL welcomes the EC air safety committee’s decision to visit the Philippines so that aside from Philippine aviation regulators, it can also inspect and audit local carriers. PAL is prepared for such audit and is confident that EC inspectors will find a picture of PAL as a world-class carrier of uncompromising professionalism and efficiency.

PAL is also ready and willing to lend a hand to the CAAP especially its new Director General Alfonso Cusi, as the agency strives to professionalize its ranks and regain its international safety rating.

Since 2006, PAL has been in compliance with IOSA. The IOSA program, which is ISO 9001:2000 certified, is a rigorous audit focusing on the entire operational management and control systems of an airline in promoting safety, based on internationally recognized standards and supported by a strict quality assurance process.

These IOSA standards are derived from relevant ICAO guidelines, in particular, Annexes 1, 6 and 8, as well as from the regulations of the U.S. FAA and the Joint Aviation Authorities of Europe (JAA), as well as industry best practices. Moreover, regular maintenance of the PAL fleet is undertaken by Lufthansa Technik Philippines , a subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik AG of Germany , the world’s leading provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services for commercial aircraft, engines and components.

As an added assurance, PAL’s internal Safety Management System is comprised of the following elements:
· Safety Policy and Objectives spells out PAL management’s commitment to safety and the continuous improvement of the system;
· Safety Risk Management outlines how hazards and their underlying risks are identified through the use of simple to sophisticated tools, and where measures are formulated to mitigate these risks;
· Safety Assurance outlines how quality- and safety-assurance methods such as audits and inspections are regularly conducted to verify compliance to standards and regulations; and
· Safety Promotion outlines how safety is inculcated in the minds of all PAL staff from the day they are hired until their retirement.

Statement by Air Phil Express

Low-cost carrier Airphil Express today (March 31, 2010) assured its passengers and the riding public that flying by air is still one of the safest modes of transportation in the Philippines.

Airphil Express issued the statement amidst the recent decision by the European Commission’s air safety committee to ban all Philippine carriers from flying to member-states of the European Union.

"While no Philippine carrier currently flies to any point in Europe, we wish to assure the riding public that our planes are well-maintained and adhere to a strict maintenance policy that puts a premium on passenger comfort and safety," said Airphil president David Lim.

He explained that while the EC ban has no direct effect on local airlines, it gives the impression that Philippine carriers are unsafe.

"Airphil Express is committed to safety. In fact, that is precisely the reason why we are uncompromising when it comes to aircraft maintenance. We also continue to boost our fleet with the acquisition of new jet aircraft in addition to our well-maintained fleet of turboprop airplanes," said Lim.

Three days ago, the former Air Philippines relaunched itself under the brand name Airphil Express, signaling its entry into the budget airline business.

It took delivery of two Airbus A320s which sport the new Airphil Express livery and configured monoclass with 177 seats. The new jet aircraft began flying from Manila to Iloilo, Bacolod, Puerto Princesa and Cagayan de Oro last March 28.

Taipan Lucio Tan, chairman of Airphil’s sister firm Philippine Airlines, said Airphil Express is acquiring a total of 20 new airplanes over the next four years, in addition to the current fleet of eight Bombardier Q400 and Q300 turboprop aircraft.

Aside from the two leased narrow-body jets, four brand-new A320s will also be delivered from Airbus manufacturing facility in Toulouse, France between September and November 2010. Four more aircraft will join the fleet next year, five aircraft in 2012 and another five in 2013, Tan added.

We've been down this flight path before. In October 2009 the International Civil Aviation Organisation announced a "Significant Safety Concern" in regard to the supervisory role of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Even before that, the United States Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the Philippines' safety rating on at least two occasions that I can remember.

On each occasion, the Philippine government reacted with surprise and, as usual, announced it would quickly fix the problem. As usual, the problems were not fixed. The government unfortunately believes it can solve any problem simply by announcing that the problem is or will soon be resolved - and then does nothing hoping the smoke will blow away. That does not work in the big, real world. Out there, they follow up and check.

This is serious and really bad. The Philippines is now lumped in with "Fifth World" incompetent countries in Africa so people assume we're as incompetent as they are and unsafe to fly to/from. The world media loves Philippine-bashing so we're in the bad headlines again. Already my friends in the tourism business are getting holiday cancelations, not just from Europe but from all over.

The government has to act quickly and seriously to fix this problem and get back our "airlines approved" status.

Philippines insists airlines are safe
For it's part, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) insists that the country’s airlines comply with international standards. CAAP director general Alfonso Cusi has responded to the European Union ban by issuing a statement saying: “Even if the Philippines is listed by the EU it does not mean that Philippine aircraft are unsafe. Our aircraft meet the international standards in safety, particularly planes manufactured by Airbus, Boeing, ATR, Bombardier and others. It’s a matter of adopting the internationally accepted audit procedures.”

He said the EU based its analysis on the result of the US Federal Aviation Authority which downgraded the Philippines from Category 1 to Category 2 on safety ratings in November 2007 and also on the ICAO audit last October, in which the Philippines got a “significant safety concern” mark.

Cusi recently led a delegation of aviation officials to Brussels trying to persuade the EU not to blacklist the Philippines. “I have invited the EU aviation safety committee to come here to the Philippines for a reinspection this May to show that we have corrected the problems that they have raised,” he said.

Cusi was only appointed CAAP chief on March 10. He promptly ordered strict compliance with the post audit certification, and he also directed the immediate hiring of 47 qualified technical personnel for the agency’s Flight Standards Inspectorate Service. He has warned all small aviation companies that they will be grounded if they are not certified by December 2010.

EU stands firm on ban

The European Union is standing firm on its ban on airlines from the Philippines flying to Europe. Rejecting pleas by Philippine Airlines against the black-listing, the EU cites a lack of substantial industry-wide reforms in aviation in the Philippines.

In an update on the ban, a PAL spokesman said the airline was able to convince EU officials that PAL adhered to international standards. “We made a presentation to the EU last June and we were able to convince them that we are a safe airline,” said PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime J. Bautista. “But they told us they were sorry and they could not give in to our request to be taken out of the blacklist,” he said.

After its audit of Philippine aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization cited a lack of professionalism within the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which is tasked with making sure that local airlines are safe. On its part, the CAAP, now under the leadership of former Manila airport manager Alfonso Cusi, says it is implementing reforms, including the grounding of some aircraft found to have fallen short of international safety norms.

Bautista said that although PAL has no flights to Europe, as a result of the ban European travel agencies have stopped selling PAL tickets to travelers who may want to book PAL flights around the Philippines.