[ Manila Bulletin Online ] May 22, 2008
Will join other ASEAN states in agreement
RP, other ASEAN countries signing open skies accord
By GENALYN D. KABILING
PANGLAO, Bohol — The Philippines is scheduled to sign an open skies accord with the other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member-countries in December to spur trade and tourism within the region, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said yesterday.
Mendoza said China, Japan, India, and South Korea are also interested in joining the multilateral accord that seeks to create a single aviation market by 2015.
The open skies agreement, which would begin with unlimited flights between capital cities, would be signed in the Philippines at the end of the year.
Apart from spurring trade and commerce, it is expected to bring around 500 million tourists within the region every year, according to Mendoza.
"Unlimited flights between capital cities can begin by December, 2008, and maybe by 2015, we can already be a single aviation market similar to what the European Union is doing," he said. "And given the interest being shown by our partners, it can easily be an ASEAN+4 agreement," he added.
ASEAN groups the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Under the proposed open skies policy in ASEAN, Mendoza said, the national carriers would have the right to overfly a country without landing; the right to stop in a country for refuel or maintenance without transferring passengers or cargo; and the right to carry passengers and cargo from one country to another and vice versa.
Mendoza said President Arroyo has already declared the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) as the country’s new premier airport.
He said the old Ninoy Aquino International Airport will have to give way to the DMIA as the premier airport in preparation for the open skies policy among ASEAN member nations.
"NAIA only has one runway and no matter how beautiful your terminal is, the capacity of its single runway is only 13 million flights per year. So we cannot expand the capacity in NAIA and we have no other choice but to transfer to Clark. There is no other alternative," he said.
The Macapagal airport is one of the largest aviation complexes in Asia, with its two 3.2-kilometer parallel runways. It has a modern instrument landing system, navigational aids, meteorological equipment, and complete airfield lighting system.
Mendoza said the looming open skies policy among the ASEAN compelled the President to postpone the signing of Executive Order 500-B which would have allowed non-designated airlines to enjoy air rights in Clark, Pampanga.
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