No need for open skies - CAAP

By Jess Diaz and Mary Ann Ll. Reyes  (The Philippine Star) Updated December 02, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – There is no need for the so-called “open skies” as the country is effectively pursuing a liberalized aviation policy, a representative of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said yesterday.

Lawyer Joseph Ray Gumabon told the House committee on transportation chaired by Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado that foreign airlines are free to include the country in their routes.

But they do not include the Philippines in their route map because there are not enough passengers, he said.

There is also the safety issue involving aviation infrastructure in the country, which has prompted US authorities to give the country a low safety rating, lumping it with some underdeveloped African nations, he said.

Committee member Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said he got the impression from the testimony of Gumabon that “we have no need for an open skies policy.”

“In fact, between the US and Manila, for instance, there are enough available airline seats but there are not enough passengers,” he said.

“There are apparently no restrictions for foreign airlines to fly to Clark in Angeles City, Cebu, Davao, and other local destinations,” he said.

For its part, Philippine Airlines (PAL) assured the lawmakers that it would support an open skies policy if it is fair, reciprocal and would not place local carriers at a disadvantage against foreign airlines.

PAL senior assistant vice president for external affairs Ma. Socorro Gonzaga said foreign carriers enjoy adequate access to Philippine skies, debunking claims there is lack of airline seats to accommodate tourists.

She said what the country really needs are more investments in infrastructure, a stable peace and order situation, and positive image abroad to attract tourists.

“It’s not the number of airline seats that is the behind the lack of tourist interest in the Philippines but the country’s negative image abroad, specially in the area of peace and order and security,” she pointed out.

Despite this perception, Gonzaga said PAL, as the country’s flag carrier, has always been at the forefront in developing key markets to boost Philippine tourism.

She said PAL is the only Philippine carrier flying to and from several significant destinations around the world, making it the one of the primary drivers of Philippine tourism.

She pointed out that since the Ramos administration, the Philippines has been liberally granting entitlements to foreign airlines. At present, she said there are 47.4 million seats available to foreign and local carriers.

However, of these available seats, only 10.97 million seats – or 23 percent of total entitlements – were used by foreign and local carriers last year.

Of the 10.97 million passengers that came to the country by air in 2009, only 2.9 million were tourists.

Gonzaga pointed out that these figures belie the claim by proponents of open skies that there is lack of airline seats to accommodate foreign visitors.

“Even without open skies, the six million tourist arrival target of the Department of Tourism by 2016 could be accommodated based on existing airline seats or entitlements available to both foreign and local carriers,” she stressed.

She said seat entitlements to Clark are about 25.6 million; to Cebu, 20.7 million; to Davao, 20.3 million, and to Kalibo, Bohol, Palawan and Laoag, 19.6 million. In Manila, there are 21.2 million seats available yearly.

Gonzaga said the figures effectively debunk the arguments of open skies advocates that the lack of airline seats is the principal reason for low tourist arrivals in the country.