THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has assured the ongoing repair of the Tagaytay en-route radar will be completed on or before the deadline Saturday.
Deputy director general for operations Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo made the assurance after he and other CAAP officials inspected the progress of the maintenance work being done at the facility located in Barangay Neogan, Tagaytay City last Tuesday.
“Work are in progress, so far we are right on target and expect that flights at Naia [Ninoy Aquino International Airport] and Clark international airport will soon normalize after calibrating the system by Saturday,” Tamayo said.
The facility is one of the three radars being utilized in guiding flights approaching airports at Naia and Clark, the other two are in Laoag and Mt. Majic in Cebu City.
CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said the Tagaytay radar repair is necessary as it will be integrated with the soon to launch satellite-based Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems. He added the repair covers the overhauling of antenna and replacement of its drive motor and rotary joint.
Apolonio said the CNS/ATM system enable aircraft operators to meet their planned times of departure and arrival and adhere to their preferred flight profiles with minimum constraints and without compromising agreed levels of safety.
The system improve the handling and transfer of information, extend surveillance and improve navigational accuracy that will lead to, reductions in separation between aircraft, allowing for increased airspace capacity and achieve reduced flight operating costs and delays.
The P9-billion Japan International Cooperation Agency assisted CNS/ATM facility will be turn over by main contractor Sumitomo-Thales JV to CAAP management by July this year.
When fully operational, the facility can monitor 80 percent of the Manila Flight Information Region as assigned to the Philippines by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Thousands of passengers were affected by the ongoing maintenance work at the facility after both the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air canceled about 300 domestic flights from March 6 to11 upon the advice of the aviation authority.
Among those canceled were flights to and from Manila, Legazpi, Naga, Kalibo, Caticlan and Cauayan, Bacolod, Tagbilaran, Cebu, Naga, Cagayan de Oro, Tuguegarao, Davao, General Santos, Puerto Princesa, and Zamboanga.
Air Asia Philippines also cancelled domestic flights to and from Manila, Tagbilaran, Davao, Tacloban, Kalibo and Cebu from March 6 to 10.