Airline tickets in the country are seen to remain stable in June as the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) maintained the fuel surcharge at level 6 for the fourth straight month.
As jet fuel prices stabilize in the world market, the CAB said the passenger and cargo fuel surcharge is kept at level 6 from June 1 to 30, ranging from P185 to P665 for domestic flights and P610.37 to P949.51 for international flights, depending on the destination.
The fuel surcharge to be collected is equivalent to the currency conversion rate of P57.26 to a dollar.
Data from the International Air Transport Association showed that average jet fuel price globally as of May 17 stood at $100.57 per barrel, down from $101.15 per barrel a week ago.
The fuel surcharge is an optional fee imposed and collected by airlines to recover fuel costs and stem losses caused by an upward spike in fuel prices. It is not a part of the basic airfare and may be reduced or removed depending on the price of jet fuel in the market by prevailing international practice.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) plans to start the construction works for the P190-million Iloilo International Airport rehabilitation project in third quarter.
In a statement, CAAP said of the total budget, P140.5 million will be allocated to the rehabilitation and enhancement of the Passenger Terminal Building and the remaining P49.8 million for the replacement of one unit of the old chiller and the provision of an additional two-unit chiller.
Detailed engineering design and project planning will commence on June 15. Procurement will follow, starting in July, and civil works are slated to begin in September, two months ahead of the original target start month of November according to CAAP.
The airport rehabilitation involves adding two new escalators while replacing two existing ones, upgrading Flight Information Display Systems, Private Automatic Branch eXchange System, Fire Detection and Alarm systems, gang chairs, and one elevator to improve the Passenger Terminal Building, as well as adding three chillers,
CAAP wants a head start so that once the Department of Transportation signs the memorandum of agreement for the P190- million allocated budget and CAAP receives the certificate of availability of funds, the project can begin promptly.
Meanwhile, CAAP said the flight disruptions on Monday, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport due to software issues will be prevented once the ongoing upgrade to the Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) is finished.
CAAP said the upgrade will enhance the system’s self-detection capabilities.
While during the incident, the CNS equipment used in air traffic operations remained fully functional, CAAP took proactive measures and implemented contingency procedures to ensure the safety of the flying public, resulting in longer separation between departing flights maintaining a separation of approximately 10 minutes.
