PH envoy to Spain takes part in air traffic management congress

Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos C. Salinas attended the inauguration ceremony of the 3rd edition of the World Air Traffic Management (ATM) Congress held at IFEMA on March 10. The World ATM Congress aims to impart the latest trends and developments in the ATM industry as well as provide networking opportunities to ATM professionals from around the world. The Congress is organized by the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO).

The inauguration ceremony was graced by Spain’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ana María Pastor; ATCA President and CEO Peter F. Dumont; CANSO Director General Jeff Poole; and ENAIRE President Julio Gómez-Pomar.

About 164 companies from the aeronautical sector and a high representation of air navigation providers participated in the Congress.

One of the exhibitors in the World ATM was the Infante de Orleans Foundation (FIO), a Madrid-based non-profit organization for pilots and aviation enthusiasts who retrieve, restore and preserve in flying condition some 42 historic aircraft. Among their collection is a Comper Swift that was flown twice from Madrid to Manila, in 1932 and 1933, by Fernando Rein Loring, a Spanish pilot. The Comper Swift is part of the foundation’s monthly air display exhibit at Cuatro Vientos Airport.

The FIO is also currently restoring a Fairchild 24 aircraft, the model which Filipino pilots Juan Calvo and Antonio Arnaiz flew from Manila to Madrid on 11 July 1936.