JICA Proposes Sangley Runway As NAIA's Third Runway

Sangley Sought For NAIA Integration

14 July 2014

Sangley Airport is poised to become part of Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex if the proposal of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to the Philippine government is to be adopted, Transport Secretary said Sunday.

JICA Has proposed that Sangley Point airport in Cavite be linked to Manila International  Airport under an integrated airspace with Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) until 2025.

Its not clear from JICA's recommendation whether a taxiway is to be linked from NAIA to Sangley airport runway or whether they will still be classified as two separate airport.

“JICA’s recommendation means that, in effect, the new Sangley airport will be NAIA’s ‘third runway’ until greater expansion can be made in the long-term," Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Jun Abaya has said.

NAIA will be constructing a 2km parallel runway next to 6-24 to handle narrow body traffic aimed at decongesting its airspace until 2025, the timeframe when the new airport would become operational

The proposal will provide NAIA with 3 parallel runways with the existing runway turned into 6-24 center, the soon to be constructed parallel runway at 6-24 right, and Sangley airport runway providing 6-24 left.

“Upgrading Sangley’s existing airport may be done faster and at a lower cost, since initial reclamation will be needed for only one to two runways, instead of three to four,” says Abaya.

Initial investment for the massive airport project could be low as it cover only land reclamation for the taxiway connecting NAIA and the Sangley runway.

“This will significantly bring down JICA’s initial ballpark estimate of $ 10 billion to build a four-runway airport in Sangley,” Abaya added.

This could provide NAIA with tremendous expansion capacity with Sangley providing two more runway for NAIA while also opening the complex to future growth.

One of the other options for 2025 and beyond would be to close NAIA once Sangley is expanded into a four-runway airport, make it a mega complex airport merging NAIA and Sangley, or operating it as dual-airport system.

DOTC's next step after this proposal is to prepare a feasibility study of the proposed options slated for completion in 2015. Project construction  is expected to commence in 2017 for completion in 2024.

Abaya clarified that the DOTC will still have to finalize the best airport strategy and present this to President Benigno Aquino III as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Department will continue to develop Clark International Airport as alternative airport to Manila.

Orbis Visits Davao and Pampanga

13 July 2014

By Vaughn Alviar

Hospital with wings for the visually impaired

It might have seemed like any other landing to residents around Clark International Airport, another prosaic aircraft that would depart as soon as it landed. But the Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) was not usual. It rolled out its generators and then stayed for two weeks since June 23.

Until July 4, the 20-plus staff members of the Orbis initiative would treat 100 visually impaired citizens of Pampanga, with partner Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital (JBLMH) providing the steady stream of less fortunate—and thankful—patients.

“It helped tremendously,” patient Nelba Magallanes said of the only hospital plane in the world, “because I wouldn’t know where to source the payment for an operation… I’m thankful for the help Orbis has given to [JBLMH’s] patients.”

Magallanes walked into the hospital for a glaucoma checkup on June 23, and the medical staff told her to head upstairs for a free operation care of Orbis.

Critical issue

THE FACILITY stayed at Clark for two weeks.

THE OPERATION room during an oculoplastics surgery

It was the FEH’s 13th operation in the country, with the first two dating back to 1982. Including the recent landing in Davao, it has now provided treatment for more than 1,000 patients across all the age groups, mostly in the current facility, a repurposed DC-10 aircraft used since 1994.

“Eye care is a critical health issue … [and] the main causes are the high cost of healthcare in urban areas and a lack of trained eye health specialists in rural areas,” said Rhicke Jennings, FedEx managing director for the Philippines and Indonesia.

There are about 3.9 million visually impaired individuals in the country. FedEx provides the logistics and expertise for the FEH, helped fund the purchase of the DC-10 and donated an MD-10 which will be the third-generation airplane hospital.

Even the ophthalmic community should be thankful for the visit. The New York-based non-profit has now provided lectures and hands-on training for over 1,000 local practitioners, all for making every operation endure, explained FEH communication manager Joni Watson.

The hospital has a 48-seat classroom that hosted lectures and symposiums. The participants watched live feeds from operations done two rooms away. Moreover, the staff gave hands-on training to 18 ophthalmologists, 8 nurses and about 8 doctors.

On hand was a high-caliber staff, including two Filipino nurses, from “15 to 16 countries all over the world,” Watson said. “We pull people from all over… It’s kind of a real mix. Other people just [learn] through friends; see it online, apply.” (Job opportunities are on Orbis.org.)

FedEx also offers a fellowship grant for eye care specialists, getting them to work in hospitals in developed countries, and trains volunteer pilots, mostly from its own pool—the reason it has touched down on 92 countries.

Orbis contacts its partners a year prior to make sure that the training sessions translate to real operations. For Pampanga, it asked the Central Luzon Ophthalmology Society and JBLMH for the most prevalent eye problems in the country—cataract is the top case and glaucoma follows. The FEH also offered pediatric ophthalmology, medical retina and oculopastic surgery, a procedure tackling problems with the eyelids and eye sockets.

About time

“It is about what they (the eye care specialists) see every day,” said Dr. Ahmed Gomaa, the medical director of FEH. “We are here to enable them to deliver care for their own patients, so whatever they see every day in their own practice are the cases we list for the program.”

“The main focus of the hospital is not to do challenging or very difficult cases… It’s not about doing heroic surgery and then we disappear, because otherwise this would be a problem,” he added.

The transient hospital envisions a Philippine health sector with the skills to address the needs of visually impaired Filipinos, Watson said, just days before the FEH flew out of the country gearing up for Mongolia. Over two weeks, it proved that it wasn’t the usual aircraft—and it’ll come back again: “Soon,” Gomaa said with a smile.

Russia Clears Siberian Airspace

Secures Daily Flight To Moscow

12 July 2014

The Russian Federation and the Philippine government has agreed Thursday to update its Air Services Agreement (ASA) by providing flight entitlements and overflight rights to the vast Russian Airspace where its respective flag carrier, Aeroflot and Philippine Airlines also agreed on the commercial terms for its service early this week. 

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) met its Russian counterpart Tuesday in Manila.

While the two states have a mutual air service agreement, there was no provisions for seat entitlements other than the proposed route structure and the general agreement which prevented Russian and Philippine carriers from providing regular flight services between the two countries.

Russian tourists were among the top 10 foreign visitors to the country numbering close to 30,000 in 2013 mostly coming from the central and eastern region.

The Annex to the Air Services Agreement scheduled for implementation on 14 July 2014 will pave the way for Philippine Airlines (PAL) to overfly the Siberian Airspace towards North America and Europe for the first time in the airline's history.

PAL used to fly North America via Alaska for its flight to Toronto instead of a more direct path via Siberia. It also flies Europe following the routes via Bangkok, India and Iran, which is the same route flown by other EU and ASEAN carriers from Bangkok.

With the current agreement, PAL can now fly Toronto or New York on a more direct flight to Manila or London - Manila via Western and Central Russia saving the airline passengers 2-3 hours of travel time.

The new agreement also paves the way for PAL to profitably fly their A340-343X fleet to other European Cities such as Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam via the shorter Russian route which would otherwise be payload-restricted.

Air Asia Zest In Hot Water Again

11 July 2014

Air Asia Zest is in hot water again and may face possible suspension orders from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) for fielding a defective aircraft to its fleet.

One of Air Asia's A320 planes (RP-C8986) was reported by passengers to have a malfunctioning auxiliary power unit since July 1 but the airline was able to fly the plane until Wednesday July 9.

The CAA said that the airline should never have flown the plane with the defective APU as it put safety of passengers at risk.

PAL Expands Down Under

Downgrades Equipment to Boeing 757

 10 July 2014

Philippine Airlines will expand its Australia Network by expanding services to Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin and Brisbane effective from October says its President. 

PAL President and COO Ramon S. Ang said yesterday that it will also open back Perth to its route network.

The airline will fly daily direct services to Sydney, Melbourne, and Darwin while Brisbane and Perth will see three and four flights operating direct from Manila respectively while other flights operate via Darwin. Perth will be relaunched on the 27 of October.

The airline will operate a fleet of five Boeing 757-200 for this route leased from Boeing Capital Corporation until 2016 where it will be replaced by Airbus A321 NEO's.

PAL is also finalizing plan to launch services to Auckland via intermediate points in Australia.

Logan Denies Buying Tan Shares

10 July 2014

Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer James Hogan has denied reports that they will buy into Philippine Airlines following its recent acquisition last week of 49% share of Alitalia, the national airline of Italy.

Hogan was in Manila to launch the landmark partnership agreement with Philippine Airlines.

Mr. Hogan emphasized that this partnership with PAL was merely strategic, but on long-term relationship, to improve both revenues and costs.

He clarified, however, that deal does not mean gaining a stake at the Philippine flag carrier.

Etihad is in the process of formalizing the acquisition of Alitalia within weeks  that would be its eighth airline investment globally following Darwin Airline (34%), Air Serbia (49%), Air Seychelles (40%), Air Berlin (29.21%), Jet Airways of India (24%), Virgin Australia (19.9%), and Aer Lingus of Ireland (4.01%).

In a recent interview Monday with the Wall Street Journal, Philippine Airlines President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang declined to identify the foreign airline or say whether it would buy all or part of LT Group's 51% share. 

Mr. Ang said the deal would be completed by the end of the year.

The San Miguel Corporation President which owns 49% and management control of Philippine Airlines said the new partner is capable of expanding the airline's international network.

Japan's All Nippon Airways has repeatedly been linked with Philippine Airlines over the last two years as it seeks to expand overseas. ANA General Manager Hideaki Izumi confirmed to reporters in March that discussions about a tie-up with Philippine Airlines were taking place but declined to answer further questions.

Since assuming control of the flag carrier, Ang has overseen an upgrade of the carrier's fleet, added new long-haul routes to Europe and the U.S., and reduced losses.

Ang said at an Annual Shareholders' meeting in June that all of the airline's long-haul routes, with the exception of recently added flights to London, are now profitable, and that the airline has started turning a profit in April.

MIAA Auctions DC-3 and Constellation

9 July 2014

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is set to auction abandoned classic aircraft that has been seating idly at the General Aviation area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport authority said Tuesday.

MIAA Legal Department Manager Perla Eslao Dumo has said that “abandonment proceedings” are now being undertaken by the airport authority for the disposal of 12 planes which includes a Douglas Corporation DC-3 plane built in 1943 originally for the US Air Force before it was sold and re-registered as RP-C147(cn 20767). The rest covers RP-C368, N102DH (cn 20830), some of which are owned by Gemino Pilapil, Jacob Lim, Jyoti P. Chatlani and Max Manning, and a 1950 era C-121J Super Constellation (N4247K c/n 4144) owned by William Crawford which can still be operational. 

The auction also includes McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32s previously operated by Cebu Pacific, and Mosphil Aero's Antonov AN-26B, Cessna 150 owned by Fredelito Juane, and Grumman American AA-IA Yankee.

The list of the auction planes are enumerated below

MASwings Reduces Palawan service

Due to Seasonal Variations

4 July 2014

By Romer S. Sarmiento

After barely a month of flying the Kota Kinabalu-Puerto Princesa route five times a week, MASwings Sdn. Bhd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, has reverted to thrice-a-week flights even amid increasing tourist traffic, officials said.

Doreen Padilla of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)-Puerto Princesa City, Palawan office said late Wednesday afternoon that the CAAP received notification from MASwings temporarily suspending two flights effective June 30.

“The airline advised us they will temporarily suspend their Monday and Thursday flights as there are some requirements they need to comply with,” Ms. Padilla said in a phone interview.

She did not elaborate on the requirements, while the airline’s local representatives could not be reached for comment.

MASwings previously announced on its Web site that effective June 2, it would service the route five times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday) using a 64-seater ATR72-500 aircraft.

In increasing their flights to five times a week, MASwings Chief Commercial Officer Shauqi Ahmad said in an earlier statement: “MASwings is pleased to be able to meet the great demand on the route Kota Kinabalu-Puerto Princesa. With its eco-tourism attractions… Puerto Princesa is quickly making its mark on the list of Must Go destinations.”

Meanwhile, Romeo Montenegro, Mindanao Development Authority director for investment promotions and public affairs which serves as the Philippine coordinating office for BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area), said traffic between Kota Kinabalu and Palawan has been on an uptrend since last month, though he did not give specific numbers.

“This a positive development in our efforts to further strengthen air connectivity between Palawan and Kota Kinabalu to lure more people to visit tourism sites in the BIMP-EAGA,” he told BusinessWorld.

Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia and Palawan in the Philippines are two focus areas under the BIMP-EAGA, a grouping launched in 1994 to accelerate the social and economic growth in the less developed areas in participating countries.

MASwings began servicing the Kota Kinabalu-Puerto Princesa route in November 2013.