MIAA gets Temporary Aerodrome Certificate

MANILA -- The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) finally got a Temporary Aerodrome Certificate from the country’s aviation regulation after meeting 81 percent of requirements concerning the facility and its operation.

“It’s temporary. Because we have still five things to comply. We are going to correct these five aspects which is part of giving MIAA the final certification for the aerodrome,” MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal told reporters.

The MIAA, he said, would fix all these  before June this year, “it’s a big challenge, but we have to do it.”

The items that need to be corrected are: first, leveling road mounds between NAIA terminal 2 and terminal 4; second, putting up maps to the airport’s runway coordinates; third, the wildlife hazard management plans; fourth, facility operations manual; and fifth, updated aeronautical information publication.

Some eight years ago, the MIAA was told to resolve some of the requirements the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) found after it made audit with CAAP.

Although, there was compliance of about 60 percent over the years, the MIAA for whatever reason was not given a chance to get the aerodrome certificate.

Initially, Monreal said, there are about 500 items that the authority needs to comply. The number was reduced to 129 in 2010, until it reached to 60.

In September last year, the aviation regulator told MIAA that it was necessary to comply with the issue as part of the requirement based on ICAO standard.

“With that short span of time we made some rectifications and managed to get 81 percent of the compliance. The passing points accordingly is about 70 points,” Monreal said. He said that only 19 points were left to comply with to come up with the 100 percent rating.

The airport executive said the MIAA would make some changes on coordinates’ measurements as points of the requirements. Monreal said while other airports in the country had already obtained its certification, the MIAA despite the requirement, it waited for eight long years to receive the temporary aerodrome certification.

He said that the country’s premier gateway is so big and extensive – the NAIA had a land area of 645 hectares and with almost 750 flights a day, “that’s why our certification was a little bit late.”

There were so many airports nationwide that were not yet certified this year, Monreal said, he did not elaborate.

When it comes to air congestions, the problem was already being resolved. He said that they had already rationalised the problem by preventing airlines to queue and to be given clearance to take off without a scheduled slot at the NAIA.

The MIAA made policies together with the CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) and the CAAP to settle with airlines involved.

“On the area of flight operations, flight efficiency and on-time-performance have greatly improved because of restrictions and new policies we implemented for general aviation, international and domestic fligh operations. We were likewise able to level the playing field for airlines by eliminating ‘colorum flights’,” Monreal said. (Otto Osorio/PNA)