The Philippines and France yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to extend their cooperation on aviation safety in the country.
The agreement signed between the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, France (DGAC) aims to reinforce CAAP’s safety oversight functions to meet the growing demand for aviation in the Philippines and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
With the continued support of French DGAC and Airbus, the cooperation will focus on developing an audit and inspection program to provide means that will continuously enhance the safety performance of Philippine air operators and approved maintenance organizations.
The MOU between CAAP and DGAC was first signed in 2018. A supplement to the technical cooperation agreement was signed yesterday by Damien Cazé, director general of DGAC France, represented by its Director for Asia-Pacific Cooperation Thibaut Lallemand, and by Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo, CAAP director general, at the residence of the French ambassador in the Philippines.
The signing was witnessed by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and French Ambassador Marie Fontanel.
Representatives of Philippine aviation stakeholders also attended the event.
Last month, CAAP convened with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) to exchange views on preparations for the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme as they are also set for an audit in January 2025.
Other matters discussed were the oversight functions of CAAT as a regulator, and Unmanned Aircraft System operations and authorization.
