Inauguration of the new Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte led the inauguration of the new Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) System project at the CAAP central office on MIA Road, Pasay City, last Jan. 16. The President, together with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Director- General Jim C. Sydiongco, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Susumo Ito unveiled the marker signalling the turnover of the facility to the CAAP.
JICA committed a P10.8- billion loan amount for the project, a satellitebased flight data- processing system which aims to improve air traffic efficiency and infrastructure in the Philippines.
The project, completed in 2017 under the JICA Official Development Agency yen loan scheme, aims to help minimize f light delays and enhance air tra f f ic safety in the country with the instal lation of upgraded communication, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management systems nationwide, including en-route surveillance radars in Aparri, Laoag, Cebu-Mt. Majic, Quezon-Palawan, and Zamboanga and airport surveillance radars at Ninoy Aquino International Airport ( NAIA) 2, in Mactan, Bacolod, Kalibo, and Davao.
Before, the CAAP only used three radars ( NAIA 1, Clark, and Tagaytay) to manage the country’s air traffic. As a result, it could only cover 30% of Philippine air space. When President Duterte came into office, Mr. Tugade focused on expediting the project after it was delayed for two years.
In his speech, President Duterte praised the improvement in the country’s aviation sector and also reminisced about flying in Davao during his childhood.
Mr. Tugade said that the shadowing operation of the new CNS/ATM is part of the Duterte administration’s efforts to make life more comfortable for Filipinos. He also pointed out how the project is adding 10 more radars to the country’s stock of three.
Mr. Tugade also mentioned how Philippine airports were lifted from the lists of worst airports and the country’s improving punctuality records as signs of the country’s improving aviation sector.
The new CNS/ATM Systems project is going to cover more than 40 airports, air navigation facilities, and air traffic control facilities nationwide, from Basco, Batanes in the North to Jolo, Sulu in the South.