Clark airport cited for safety standards
CLARK FREEPORT — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has cited Clark International Airport (CRK) for its compliance with the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) Governing Aerodromes and Manual Standar ds.
The citation to CRK was made during the celebration of the Civil Aviation Day at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) in Paranaque City last Monday.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade and CAAP Director General Jim Sydiongco led the awarding ceremonies. Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President Alexander Cauguiran received the aerodrome certification for CRK.
Cauguiran said that the certification is vital to the operations of the Clark airport. “It indicates that the airport has passed the international standards set by the International Civil Authority Organization (ICAO) and the CAAP.”
The certification covers safety management system, aerodrome reporting, access to the movement area, aerodrome emergency plan, rescue and fire-fighting service, aerodrome inspection, visual aids that include electrical systems, and aerodrome lighting.
The procedure also includes movement area maintenance, aerodrome works safety, aircraft parking control, ramp safety management, airside vehicle control, wildlife hazard management, airside vehicle
control, obstacle control, disabled aircraft removal, handling of hazardous materials, low visibility operations and protection of radar and navigation aids.
In a related development, the CRK is now been included in the Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) system of the CAAP.
The CNS-ATM will improve the handling and transfer of information, extend surveillance and improve navigational accuracy. This will lead to increased airspace capacity and other developments.
“The integration of Clark Airport in the state of the art communications, navigation and surveillance air traffic management system will further enhance the airport’s capability to monitor the flight movements since more domestic and international airlines are expected to operate here in line with the directive of President Duterte to utilize Clark as airport of the North,” Cauguiran said.
On December 16, Philippine Airlines (PAL) will start its Clark-Caticlan route. PAL aircraft departs at 11:30 am in Clark and 10:00 am in Caticlan.
PAL will also commence domestic flights to Davao, Busuanga and Cagayan De Oro and international flights to Incheon South Korea by January 2017.
Cebu Pacific and other domestic and international carriers announced that they will also increase their flights and new routes in Clark.
“Safety of our passengers is above everything for us at CRK, our compliance with international aviation standards and the inclusion of the Clark Airport in the monitoring system and coverage of the CNS-ATM makes us a lot safer as an airport,” Cauguiran said.