The new Cat III 420 Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) and a Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) intended for runway 06 and 24 of Manila International Airport finally arrived Sunday night after two months of delay.
The instrument should have been installed last May 29 to replace one that went out of commission a year ago but because of the closure of European Airspace there were delays on cargo shipment from the continent.
Had they been installed on time, they could have prevented the repeated closure of Manila airport due to bad weather. The new instrument will replace the old ILS at runway 06 and 24 and they are scheduled to be up and running by the middle of August.
“The ILS was late in coming because the European airspace was closed for weeks during the eruption of Iceland volcano, cutting off all European flights to Manila,” Manila International Airport Authority chief Melvin Matibag had explained prior to his replacement on July 9.
Matibag was replaced by retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Jose Angel Honrado, who took over the post Friday.
Thales Philippines, a local subsidiary, said that it would take at least four weeks for the contractor to install and calibrate the ILS.
"They would be installed by Integrated Energy Systems & Resources, Inc., in cooperation with Thales ATM Project Engineers" Thales statement said.
Asia- Pacific countries utilizing Thales equipment include: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Laos, Macau SAR, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, People’s Republic of China, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
TRY NYO NAMAN PALITAN MGA TAO SA CAAP! PARA TUMAGAL ANG MGA GAMIT AT NDI MASIRA DAHIL SA WALANG PAG INTINDI NG MGA EMPLEYADO.
ReplyDeleteNAIA navigation aid goes on line
ReplyDeleteBy Rudy Santos
The Philippine Star
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=606408&publicationSubCategoryId=65
August 27, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - The instrument landing system (ILS) and distance measuring equipment (DME) for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) became operational as of 2:25 p.m. yesterday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
The ILS and DME, as well as the very high frequency omni-range (VOR) station, were damaged during tropical storm “Ondoy” in September last year.
The ILS was delivered by Integrated Energey System and Resources, Inc. (IESRS), a local subsidiary of France-based firm Thales Tuesday morning but had to undergo checks prior to actual use.
Andrew Bassalote of the CAAP’s Air Navigation Service and Carlos Lozada, Manila International Airport Authority assistant manager for operations, accepted the deeds of certificate from Susan Tecson, managing director of IESRS.
CAAP director general Alfonso Cusi said they are going to focus their attention on rehabilitating the VOR station, which is working only because its transmitter was borrowed from the Subic airport.
Bassalote said they will discuss the purchase of a new transmitter, worth P14 million, with the CAAP board. He said the purchase is part of a plan to buy P3 million worth of parts for a new VOR since the old one is due to expire next year.
The ILS helps pilots land safely in all weather conditions by providing information on whether the aircraft is in line with the runway and the proper angle of descent.
The VOR helps pilots determine their relative direction to or from the station, while the DME uses the time required for a radio signal to travel to and from a given point and converts the signal into distance information in terms of nautical miles.