THE Philippines’s paramount air-traffic control and communications system, called Eurocat, which is long overdue for replacement, continues to be used by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap).
The absence of a ready substitute is causing headaches to the Caap executives, afraid that if Eurocat bogs down, there would be a mad scramble for replacements, or finger pointing.
Two replacements, the ALS 2.1 and the CNS/ATM have been delayed. The first, by the continuing evaluation and testing by air-traffic controllers; the second, the contract is under review by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
ALS 2.1, a Czech-made radar was installed under former Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza for P500 million. It was also during the previous administration that the contract for the CNS/ATM was signed.
Delivery of the P10-billion CNS/ATM, that would make the country on a par with the rest of the world with its next-generation air traffic-management and communication system, had been delayed and its cost has ballooned to P13 billion.
Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas is subjecting the contract to a review, to make sure that it has not been tainted with anomaly. Instead of its planned installation in 2010, it was estimated that the CNS/ATM would not be in place until 2015.
The International Civil Aviation Organzation (Icao) has allowed signatories, such as the Philippines, until 2016 to adopt the satellite-based CNS/ATM, although many countries around the world have already been using it for the last few years.
Eurocat, a product of Thales Air System (formerly Thomson CSF), is the main air-traffic control and management system procedure adopted by the Area Control Center. It handles en route, overflights, arriving and departing air traffic from as far as 250 kilometers away.
“Our Eurocat is gasping for breath, it’s good that Thales Australia had donated some parts,” says Caap Director General Ramon Gutierrez.
Antonio Gonzales, chief of Air Traffic Services, said that there are talks to convince the CNS/ATM manufacturer to advance the delivery of simulator equipment so that it would be able to take-over Eurocat.
==============================================================================
By: Recto Mercene
Source: Business Mirror, March 25, 2012
To view the original article, click here.
Subscribe to the Arangkada NewsRoom via RSS
Subscribe to the Arangkada NewsClips
Comment here