The much-awaited operation of the next-generation air-traffic control and communication system that would govern the pace of how air traffic is efficiently managed in the country could be delayed by six months.
Instead of its scheduled opening in June, the Communications Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system would be fully operational by the end of this year, according to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) Director General Capt. Jim Sydiongco.
On January 6 the government agency announced the new CNS/ATM system would be operational by the end of June.
“The state-of-the-art computer and satellite-based system will put the Philippines on the same level with developed countries. The system features aircraft transponders that receive satellite signals and use transponder transmissions to determine the precise locations of aircraft in the sky,” Caap said during the anniversary celebration of the International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) held at the Caap compound in Pasay City.
However, during an exclusive interview last Friday, Sydiongco told the BusinessMirror, “The expected completion would be the middle of this year, parallel testing would be toward end of year, and it would be fully operational by end of the year.”
“It would be able to reduce congestion, it will be more efficient. We installed 10 new additional radars and, out of the 13, five are en route radars and the rest are terminal radars.
“It would be more precise and have a wide coverage. It would cover 80 percent to 85 percent of the Flight Information Region, and the rest by satellite,” Sydiongco added.
Sydiognco noted that the Caap system is the same one being used in Australia, Taiwan and other European states. It is expected to provide a more efficient and safer air-traffic flow management in the Philippines.
The new system will also help airlines meet their departure and arrival times, and enable them to choose their preferred flight profiles with minimum inhibitions.
“That’s the advantage of the new system, it is more precise and have a wider coverage, and those not covered by it would be taken over by satellites,” he added.
The project was partly funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. It includes the establishment of a central traffic-control complex housed in the Caap compound.
Ten radar sites have been constructed on top of existing ones to complement the CNS/ATM’s coverage of the entire Philippine FIR.
The FIR corresponds to an area designated by the Icao as a specified region of airspace in which a flight information service and an alerting service are provided.
Sydiongco said the CNS/ATM would “greatly enhance” the tracking and billing of all overflights, as well as international and domestic flights, from which the Caap derives its air-navigation charges (ANCs).
About 85 percent to 90 percent of the Caap’s income is from the ANCs.
It has been reported that the Caap earns about P2 billion a year from ANCs in 2012, former Caap Director General for operations Willy Borja said.
“It is probable that the Caap today is earning about P3 billion to P4 billion a year from air-navigation charges, because there have been dozens of flights added,” he said.
He added all air carriers that traverse the Philippines FIR, from local and domestic flights, to those that simply crosses our airspace, are billed depending of the type of aircraft.
“For B747 and above, the charge is 40 US cents per kilometer; and for below the B747, the charge is 15 US cents per kilometer,” Borja said.
Sydiongco was adamant providing the amount of ANCs earned by the Caap during the last few years until this year, saying he could not remember the figures.
However, it has been reported in newspapers that in the past, the Caap and the Manila International Airport Authority used to contribute about P1.5 billion a year for the President’s intelligence fund.
Sydiongco said in preparation for the activation of the CNS/ATM, it has been conducting parallel testing of the system employing newly trained air- traffic controllers.
“There is agreement for technology transfer, and the 700 veteran air-traffic controllers have been trained how to handle the new system.”
He added the Caap is training 500 more air controllers, graduating about 100 a year from the Civil Aviation Training Center (CTC) in its modern facility near Merville Subdivision.
“Every year, the CATC has a capacity to process about 100 ATC from the training center where they study the basics and the transitioning to the new system. The 500 are not only air controllers but also includes technicians and maintenance engineers,” Sydiongco added.