Air Force gets 1st Airbus

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) will formally accept the first of three Airbus C295 medium transport planes today.

The transport plane will be accepted by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. and PAF commanding general Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado.

The C295 Airbus made its way to the country after a handover ceremony on March 18 in Seville, Spain, where the final assembly line of Airbus Defence and Space is located.

PAF spokesperson Lt. Col. Enrico Canaya said the PAF 220th Airlift Wing will receive the medium transport aircraft.

The C295 Airbus passed a flight test and will come with documents on the aircraft, including operation and maintenance manuals.

“We are looking forward to this because this is an additional asset. We had no C295 before. Cargo aircraft like this are a big help,” Canaya said.

The twin-turboprop C295 Airbus is capable of carrying 71 persons or nine tons  of cargo using short unprepared airstrips.

Canaya said the C295 Airbus is a medium lift plane equivalent to a Fokker and may be used in transporting cargo and for disaster response.

The aircraft is the first of three planes worth P5.29 billion. The other two C295 Airbuses will be delivered in 2016.

Currently, the PAF has a transport fleet of three Fokker planes and three C-130 Hercules cargo planes.