CAAP considering third-party maintenance provider for air traffic management system
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is considering getting a third-party maintenance provider for its air traffic management system, after it experienced a technical glitch that led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights on January 1.
In a Senate hearing on Thursday, CAAP Director Manuel Antonio Tamayo: “We have been negotiating with (French firm) Thales to get them as our third-party provider as far as maintenance is concerned.”
Tamayo's answer was in response to a question by Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Service.
He said they were still negotiating the price with Thales.
Thales Group is a French company that makes electrical systems, devices, and equipment for the aerospace, defense, transportation, and security sectors.
Tamayo also said that as many as 39 flights were mounted at NAIA using Very High Frequency (VHF) radios on January 1 when the communication system was down.
Earlier, Senate President Juan Miguel Ziburi said he learned from French Ambassador Michele Boccoz that Thales was still supposed to be maintaining the equipment but the Philippines was unable to pay them.
“Is it true that we owe them (Thales) P1 billion?” Zubiri asked.
Tamayo answered: “There are existing claims, your honor. It’s still up to negotiation, up to now. Both parties are here. And they were negotiating last night and we hope to be able to settle these claims as soon as possible.”
Zubiri then asked if Sumitomo Corp. and Thales had ended their contract with the Department of Transportation (DoTr).
“After the taking over of the DoTr on the CNS/ATM project, the DoTr had their own turnover to CAAP this 2017 October. We had a one-year...period where we conducted the maintenance and repair of the system. That’s until 2018 of October. After that the extended warranty, that’s what we call it, where we provide warranty service,” Sumitomo Resident Representative Lloyd Chadwick Lim said.
“Before the taking over in 2017, we had proper training, operations, and training manuals turned over to CAAP personnel. So while we were conducting the project, although this was a DoTr project, we were working hand-in-hand with CAAP people. The CNS ATM (Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Systems Air Traffic Management), we call it the CNS ATM building is located within the CAAP compound,” he added.
Lim said it would be a great help to CAAP if they had support from a third-party supplier.
“CAAP personnel are competent to do the regular maintenance but it would be beneficial if they also have support from a third-party supplier. In this instance, we also provided CAAP a list of all our suppliers for the equipment installed for the CNS/ATM . So that should they decide to have additional support, they can contact them,” Lim told the panel.
Lim said it would be best for CAAP to ask these suppliers for help with maintenance since they have expertise with the respective products.
For his part, Transportation Undersecretary Robert Lim said the agency owes Thales P986,653,257.81 due to the agency’s suspension and delay of the implementation of the construction of the air traffic management system, while they owe DoTr P644 million due to the delayed delivery of the equipment.
“The total of that is P986,653,257.81. That is the claim of the contractor. In the past, a claims resolution committee was organized a time in 2020…Ultimately the claims resolution committee denied the claims of the contractors,” Roberto Lim said.
Tamayo said that CAAP and DoTr take full responsibility for the malfunction of the CNS/ ATM.
“We again extend our sincerest apologies to all those who were inconvenienced and greatly affected by this circumstance, which is something we are not proud of. We take this as a lesson and we manifest to this honorable committee and fellow Filipinos that we take full responsibility and accountability for what happened.” Tamayo said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
