10 April 2014 - The Department of Foreign Affairs today welcomed the announcement by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that it has restored the Category 1 Rating of the Philippines after finding it compliant with international aviation safety standards.

“This is good news for the Philippines and for the Filipino people,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario said after he was informed by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. of the rating upgrade.

“Our flag carriers can now push through with their plans to expand their operations and serve our people in various parts of the United States,” Secretary Del Rosario said as he commended the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for addressing FAA’s concerns and the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. for working closely with the agency on the matter.

In his report to Secretary Del Rosario, Ambassador Cuisia said the FAA restored the country’s Category 1 rating following an International Aviation Safety Assessment in March. The upgrade came six years after the Philippines was downgraded to Category 2 for failing to meet international aviation safety standards.

“Regaining Category 1 status has been one of our major economic diplomacy thrusts in the United States,” Ambassador Cuisia said. “With the Category 1 rating, we hope to see the expansion of flight routes in the US by Philippine air carriers.

“This means opening up more routes for business and tourism travel between the Philippines and the US as well as creating more opportunities for Philippine and American business,” he said.

The Embassy said the upgrade followed the meeting between Ambassador Cuisia and FAA Associate Administrator Margaret Giligan in early February, where the former underscored the Philippine Government’s commitment to aviation safety and sustainability as well as the efforts undertaken by the CAAP under the leadership of Director General William Hotchkiss to address FAA concerns.

In that meeting, Administrator Giligan noted the active engagement of the Philippine Government with the FAA to ensure compliance with aviation safety and standards, the Embassy added.

The FAA lowered the country’s safety rating to Category 2 in January 2008 upon the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which had found "significant concerns" over CAAP's ability to meet international safety standards.

A category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards or that its civil aviation authority is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping or inspection procedures.

As a result of the downgrade, local carriers such as Philippine Airlines were barred from expanding their routes in the US as well as in taking part in reciprocal code-share arrangements with American carriers.

However, with the Category 1 rating, Philippine carriers may now initiate or continue to service the US in a normal manner and enter into code-share arrangements with American airlines. END