By Ma. Cristina Arayata/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — The country’s new air navigational system — the Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM), is now fully operational, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced Friday.
“There was a cutover in November. Operations have started at that time, but it has to undergo an observation period. (CNS/ATM) full operations starts today,” CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
The new system will enhance the safety and efficiency of air traffic, he said, enabling a more definite aircraft identification and better airspace management.
According to CAAP, the system works by sending satellite signals to aircraft transponders and by using transponder transmissions to determine the precise locations of aircraft in the sky.
“It provides various computer-aided safety measures in Air Traffic Control (ATC), and enhances safety through reduction of controller/pilot workloads and human errors. With the integration, the country’s air transport industry will benefit from increased airspace flexibility, optimal air traffic personnel workload delegation, safer air traffic service provision, and better overall efficiency of the country’s aviation sector,” it said in a statement.
Furthermore, the CNS/ATM will further develop aviation safety, optimize the airspace, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and promote greener skies, CAAP added.
Apolonio also said that CAAP’s collection will be bigger now that the Philippines has the CNS/ATM. The system tracks specific flights that pass through the Philippine air space.
Airlines need to pay for this, he said, and compared this to a toll fee, noting that carriers would need to pay even if the Philippines is not their final destination.
“CAAP would then be able to collect more from the overfly bill. There is an automatic billing for that,” Apolonio said.
Meanwhile, Apolonio bared that the Philippines is quite late in having the CNS/ATM as neighboring countries are already using the system.
“The (Duterte) administration instructed to fast-track this,” he said.
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