The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the safety rating of the Philippines could be upgraded in October. CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss III said a team leader of the US Federal Aviation Administration would visit the country sometime in September or October. Hotchkiss said the Philippines could regain its Category 1 status then.
In 2008, the safety rating of the Philippines was downgraded to Category 2 by the US FAA. This was after CAAP was not able to comply with the safety standards. CAAP failed in oversight for operations of all air carriers. The downgrade was recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Philippine aviation authorities then signed a Technical Assistance Services Agreement last June 4 with the US FAA. Part of the agreement was to have an FAA official, who is in the country, to work with the authorities.
Hotchkiss told ABS-CBN News, "It (Technical Assistance Services Agreement) is now being implemented, and as I speak, a second visitation from the FAA is on-going and all indications are positive towards a possible upgrade before the end of the year."
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