DOTC Seals Agreement for State-of-the-Art Aviation Safety Systems by 2015

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) made an agreement paving the way for a world-class aviation system in the Philippines, ensuring the availability of CNS/ATM (Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management) Systems within two-and-a-half years.

Under a Contract Amendment signed last week between the DOTC and the Sumitomo-Thales Joint Venture, the latter will immediately restart the construction of an air traffic management building and the supply of various components such as automation equipment and terminal radars, to enable the use of the satellite technology-based system.

The original contract between the parties was signed in December 2010, but was disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA) in May 2011. After a review of its concerns, however, the COA lifted the disallowance in March 2013.

The DOTC and the Joint Venture then worked on the Contract Amendment in order to update the project timeline, scope of works, and prices, to allow the project to proceed.

The state-of-the-art CNS/ATM Systems will modernize aviation safety and security capabilities, increase airport capacity, and minimize flight delays and aircraft collisions by providing safety alerts and warnings, managing the use of the airspace and air traffic flow, and enhancing the communications and monitoring capabilities of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

“This project will bring the country closer to the highest of international aviation safety standards. Ultimately, it will also result in more revenues for the government, bolster the country’s tourism goals, and lower pollution emission levels through efficient air traffic management,”said DOTC spokesperson Migs Sagcal.

Sagcal added that Secretary of Transportation and Communications Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya secured the joint venture’s reassurance that the CNS/ATM Systems will be fully in place within President Benigno S. Aquino III’s term, or by November 2015.

The CNS/ATM Systems Development Project was first conceptualized in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Global Air Navigation Plan, and will replace aging vital communications, surveillance, and air traffic control equipment at selected airports nationwide.

Sources: dotc.gov.ph