Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) remains one of the “top high-risk airports” by various airlines, which is why it has to take immediate action to remove safety and security issues.
This assessment is part of a May 2015 report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association representing some 250 airlines all over the world, or 84% of total air traffic. Philippine Airlines is an IATA member.
The report, called “Immediate and long-term priorities for Manila airports,” says: “NAIA is routinely reported by airlines as one of the top high-risk airports in ASPAC [Asia-Pacific region].”
From 2010 up to 2013, the report says, the concerns usually raised by IATA members were about air traffic management issues, including extended holding, vectors and delays, nonstandard ait traffic controller (ATC) procedures.
According to the report, flight crews of various airlines identified a “hotspot area” in NAIA, describing it as: poorly lit, with nonstandard and poorly maintained signs, and having omplex configuration of taxiways.
“IATA’s view is that NAIA needs to take immediate action to resolve some of the safety and efficiency issues,” the report says.
So IATA issued an Operational Notice, dated May 26, 2015, to its members to alert them of those issues.
The notice, which is also appended to the report, was signed by Blair Cowles, IATA regional director for safety and flight operations for Asia-Pacific.
IATA grouped its members’ concerns into three:
Immediate safety and operation concerns: “IATA and its member airlines have grave concerns about the safety of ground movement operations and management of the airside infrastructure of NAIA.”
Infrastructure capacity: “Currently, the market is served by 2 airports (NAIA and Clark International Airport), but there is a need to formulate and implement a long-term strategy to meet the growing needs of the region.”
Ownership and control: “The issue of private equity participation in airport infrastructure has been the focus of much debate. Of particular relevance are some of the proposals related to restrictions on ownership by airline entities or airline shareholders.”
You may download a PDF copy of the entire report here.
The IATA report notes, however, that NAIA has implemented some of the recommendations on safety and operations that it has been making since 2010.
Among the improvements were the installation of proper signs and lighting in the so-called “hotpsot area.”
The airport has also implemented tactical flow procedures and had ATC controllers undergo training.
