PAL assures safety of its flights

National flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Sunday assured the riding public that safety was and always had been its top priority after its ground crew union questioned the capability of the new outsourced workers to replace the 2,600 terminated union members.

PAL president Jaime Bautista said that none of the airline’s strict safety protocols had been compromised after the flag carrier’s outsourcing program took effect on October 1.

“We assure our passengers that all aircraft utilized on our flights are released only after thorough assessment and safety checks,” Bautista stressed,  adding that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) had a surveillance inspection team specially assigned to PAL.

Bautista said that safety was the cornerstone of PAL’s operations as he brushed aside attempts by its former employees to sow doubt in the minds of the flying public about the safety of PAL operations.

He said all PAL aircraft were maintained by Lufthansa Technik Philippines and other reputable maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) companies abroad. All safety regulations are likewise complied, with particularly those enforced by CAAP, US Federal Aviation Administration and US Transport Security Administration, as well as regular safety checks under the stringent IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), he said. PAL is the only IOSA-certified Philippine carrier.

Final checks

“Apart from strict security checks, PAL flights also undergo a final safety check by our highly trained and experienced pilots. A PAL plane will not take off until the pilots are fully satisfied with the aircraft’s airworthiness and only after they have determined the safe load of passengers and cargo,” he said.

Bautista also dismissed as black propaganda allegations by former PAL employees led by Gerry Rivera that overworked PAL staff and untrained personnel were compromising airline safety.

“Former PAL ground workers were so used to working less than their 7.5-hour daily shift for five days, such that they consider our volunteers’ eight-hour shifts, six days a week as ‘overwork’,” Bautista said.

Proper training

Bautista said the volunteers, former union members hired by the outsourcing companies and new hires had all undergone proper training and certification prior to handling official ground duties.

PAL cautioned the riding public against believing the disinformation dished out by its disgruntled employees. “We hope our passengers will carefully discern fact from the fiction being peddled by those out to destroy the flag carrier’s good name and reputation,” he said.

Operational problems, however, continue to hound the airline.

On Sunday, 65 of its international and local flights were cancelled as of 1 p.m., according to an advisory from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

But Joey de Guzman, PAL vice president for corporate communications, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that “at least 60 percent of our domestic flights and 95 percent of our international flights are operating normally.”

Some flights of other airlines were also cancelled Sunday due to bad weather, MIAA said.

Meanwhile, the PAL Employees Association (Palea) on Sunday said it would stage on Wednesday a protest similar to the “Occupy Wall Street” movement to oppose the increasing contractualization of workers in the country.

Palea will hold the protest outside the PAL In-Flight Center along MIA Road near Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2. Jerry E. Esplanada and Jerome Aning