Hike pilots' pay to lift EU ban, ambassador urges PHL carriers

Local carriers must raise the salaries of pilots, on top of other reforms, before the European Union (EU) lifts its ban on direct flights from the Philippines, outgoing EU ambassador Alistair MacDonald said over the weekend. The ambassador said this will keep Filipino pilots from moving to other countries with more lucrative jobs. MacDonald recommended the pay hike even as the country implements “a series of ambitious reforms," as the European Aviation Safety Agency reported after a visit to the Philippines in October last year. In its report to the European Union, the agency noted Philippine efforts to revise the Civil Aviation Regulations, to train and raise the qualifications of aviation staff, to modernize facilities, and to implement other measures to attain international safety standards. The agency, however, said it is impossible to complete these reforms within a few months due to a lack of resources and the lengthy recruitment and appointment processes in the country. Philippine carriers were blacklisted from flying in the EU's 27 member-states in April last year because of their failure to comply with international safety standards. No direct flights have since been allowed from the Philippines to destinations like France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Germany. MacDonald, who ends his four-year tour of duty this month, said the EU will also consider parallel assessments by the United States Federal Aviation Administration and the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The ICAO will reschedule a visit by an assessment team to the Philippines after this was postponed in December last year. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/MRT/VS, GMANews.TV