Davao airport to install P45M navigational system

MANILA, Philippines — A P45.4-million new navigational system that will guide aircraft through bad weather and poor visibility, will soon be set up at the Davao international airport, considered the busiest in Mindanao.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has inked a deal with the Indra Australia Pty Ltd and the Philcox (Philippines) Inc. for the replacement of the existing navigational guidance system at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Catitipan, Barangay Buhangin in Davao City.

An average of 2 million passengers and 20,000 aircraft go through the airport in a year, making the equipment vital to the facility’s operation.

Apart from the set-up of a new Doppler VHF (very high frequency) Omnidirectional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment, the contract also involves the installation of new underground power and other accessories for the navigational gear.

According to CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio, the DVOR/DME is a short-range radio navigation system enabling an aircraft to determine its position and stay on course through radio signals sent by fixed ground radio beacons.

Apolonio said that it would primarily help pilots locate and land on the runway at night, and during inclement weather and poor visibility.

The DVOR/DME at the Davao City airport is already 12 years old, considering that the shelf life of the equipment is only 10 years, according to Apolonio.

The Davao international airport would be the third to have the new DVOR/DME system in the country as part of the CAAP’s modernization of the navigational systems in all airports nationwide, Apolonio said.  The first project was undertaken  at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the other at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which will be completed before the end of 2015. SFM