Officials of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently lectured airlines and major repair stations in the Philippines and its neighboring countries on the latest aircraft safety and maintenance practices to keep them abreast of international standards.

During the first-ever Maintenance Safety Seminar in the Philippines, the US FAA San Francisco International Field Office (SFO-IFO) and FAA Safety Team (FAAST) provided comprehensive safety practices in civil aviation maintenance that airlines and repairs stations around the world should strictly follow.

The three-day seminar was sponsored by flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) in cooperation with the Civil Aviation Administration of the Philippines (CAAP).

A total of 165 participants from various airlines, repair stations and training organizations including the Philippine Navy joined the FAA safety seminar. There were 140 representatives from the Philippines and 25 from other countries in the Asia Pacific region. The Economic Section of the US Embassy sent two observers.

Discussions focused on 14 areas in aircraft maintenance that FAA regularly monitors. These include: Parts and materials, record keeping, work away from fixed location, contract maintenance, certificate requirements, maintenance and alterations, technical data, quality control system, tools and equipment, manual system, training program, personnel, housing and facilities, and maintenance process.

The FAAST Team also discussed Safety Management System, Risk Management and Human Factors which are required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to avoid aviation-related accidents.

"Safety consciousness is intrinsic to PAL's operations. It is part of our way of doing business," commented PAL President and COO Jaime Bautista.

"It is second nature to our staff, whether at the frontlines or the back office. We put a very high premium on safety compliance."

The flag carrier’s commitment to safety paid off since PAL earned the distinction as the only Philippine carrier that passed the strict IATA (International Air Transport Association) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), he added.