THE government is looking for ways to use alternative energy and reduce carbon emissions of the aviation sector in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization, and to make Philippine skies environment friendly.
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines officials said this goal could be achieved through:
• Maximizing traffic flow of airborne aircraft arriving at a congested airport,
• Implementation of the User-Preferred Routes over the oceanic airspace to allow air carriers to fly on optimized paths instead of using standard routes, and
• Enhancement of terminal capacity through the use of required navigation performance instead of low-level holding and vectoring as well as the use of continuous descent operations to reduce energy used in an aircraft’s arrival, approach and landing.
Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation Manuel Antonio Tamayo said to have eco-friendly skies, the CAAP should recommend to Congress the drafting of an economic and market-based legislation that would enable the use of emissions trading in aviation.
Emissions trading is a government-mandated, market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants.
Various countries, states and groups of companies have adopted such trading systems, notably for mitigating climate change.
Tamayo, a veteran commercial pilot before being appointed as CAAP deputy director general and later as undersecretary for aviation, said CAAP, the regulatory body with jurisdiction over the entire civil aviation system of the Philippines, intended to establish waste disposal facilities in the airports, and regulate aircraft to ensure they were more fuel-efficient.
He also stressed that to effectively improve air traffic service to reduce fuel burn, carbon emissions and increase efficiency there should be information exchange with stakeholders to avoid delays on inbound aircraft on the country’s airports.
Last month, CAAP got the approval of the International Civil Aviation Organization team who conducted an assessment to determine if the agency complied with international safety standards.
CAAP Media Communication Office chief and spokesperson Eric Apolonio said the assessment, dubbed as ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission, was conducted from May 30 to June 8.
