Neha Jain: http://philippinesaviationnews.blogspot.com/15

The PIHABF has become a “popular international sports aviation event” that continues to attract local and foreign visitors and hot air balloon enthusiasts. (Photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

1. SEAir fails launch of Macau route
Budget Philippines carrier South East Airlines (SEAir) has failed to launch its Clark-Macau route, which was scheduled for yesterday. The local aviation regulator confirmed to Macau Daily Times that it was still waiting for “additional information” from the aeronautical authorities of the Philippines. “The approval process is therefore still underway,” a Civil Aviation Authority of Macau (AACM) spokesperson stressed.
Last week the Clark International Airport Corporation president Victor Jose Luciano said SEAir was going to launch flights to Macau on February 14. Quoted by the Sun.Star Pampanga newspaper, he added that the low-cost would fly to the MSAR three times a week.
The airline’s website makes no further mention of these plans and it’s not possible to make online bookings for flights between Clark and Macau. MDTimes has repeatedly tried to contact the carrier but has received no reply.
“Although some news reported that the airline would launch the service commencing today [yesterday], we have checked that the airline is not selling tickets to the public,” AACM said.
Also yesterday, the revised Air Navigation Regulation was published on the Official Gazette. The main change from the 2003 version, according to AACM, was an update to “some of the technical requirements,” in compliance with the new Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
In addition, some provisions which were originally published as aeronautical circulars have now been incorporated into the executive order signed by Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On, “in order to increase the legal status of these provisions,” AACM stressed.
The 307-page regulation comes into effect today. The executive order states that the AACM “should proceed with the technical updates” of the document, “which, for air transport security reasons, are deemed necessary”. The updates are “mandatory” and should be implemented at least every two years.

2. UPS transports balloons for Clark's aviation sports
CLARK, Pampanga, Philippines – Since 2003, UPS has been the logistics sponsor for the annual Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, transporting balloons from across the world to Clark, Philippines. For this year’s event, UPS moved 26 balloons from 11 countries for the event, which was stagedl on Feb. 10-13, 2011.

The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is the largest aviation sports event in the Philippines. As the nation marks the centennial year of airplanes in the Philippine skies, this year’s celebration is expected to be bigger and more spectacular with more than 100,000 people expected to visit the four-day event.

“We are proud to continue to be associated with this exciting annual event which has become one of the most highly anticipated aviation events in the Philippines. The job of carrying the balloons from different parts of the globe from countries as far away as Sweden and the Netherlands and neighboring Asian countries demonstrates the range, reliability and flexibility of the UPS network,” said Tim Gohoc, managing director of UPS Philippines.

UPS covers more than 220 countries and territories worldwide with 216 aircraft and a delivery fleet of more than 100,000 vehicles.

“The sponsorship has allowed us to showcase UPS’s abilities in handling special cargo and the mastery of logistics we offer customers. These balloons are extremely important to the owners given their high value. Being a partner of the event since 2003 is a testament to the trust and confidence the organizers and the balloonists all over the world have placed in UPS,” added Gohoc.

Since it started in 1994, the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta has been recognized as one of the major ballooning events in the world, alongside similar events held in Japan and New Mexico, U.S.A. The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta has given Filipinos a unique entertainment experience from balloon take-off to aerial displays and exhibits.

3. Fly high
The PIHABF has become a “popular international sports aviation event” that continues to attract local and foreign visitors and hot air balloon enthusiasts. (Photo by PINGGOT ZULUETA)
Swiss chef Chris Locher has been living in Clark, Pampanga with his family for over a decade now. And every year during the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF), he gets to be part of it through activities in his kitchen.

As the chef patrone of the C’Italian Dining restaurant in Clark, Chef Locher says that for this year’s PIHABF, which is now on its 16th year, he and his team “have been really busy” as they prepared to cater to “600 to 700 guests on a daily basis” due to the influx of visitors, mostly participants to the fiesta.

“We’re basically fully booked from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.,” he says. “It’s work and at the end of the day, you have to make sure that even if the restaurant’s operations are busy because of the PIHABF, the customers are still happy.”

Locher says the PIHABF is “one of the well-organized events” in Pampanga and is something that helps put the Philippines in a good light. “Unfortunately, I have been too busy that I can't attend the festival but my family goes there and they go see the hot air balloons, go kite flying, and participate in the different activities there such as taking pictures of the aircrafts on display there. They usually have fun.”

In 1994, the PIHABF was organized to positively aid the development of the Pinatubo-ravaged local economy of Central Luzon and to help promote the Philippines as a premier sport-aviation and tourist destination in Asia. The accessible Omni Aviation Complex in Clark, says Holland-based RJP balloon company managing director Rien Jurg, is a good venue for a hot air balloon flying event with a wide, grassy field matched with an apt tropical climate.

Through the years, the PIHABF has become a “popular international sports aviation event” that continues to attract local and foreign visitors and hot air balloon enthusiasts. It was reported that “over 80,000 visitors flocked to the event last year.” Featured activities in the PIHABF include skydiving and aircraft flying demonstrations, aerobatic and paragliding shows, balloon bursting and photo competitions, among others.

“Partnering with PIHABF is our way of supporting tourism in the country,” Caltex brand manager Veronica Pangilinan says. Caltex is one of the numerous companies and brands that sponsored this year’s PIHABF. “We are proud to be associated with this kind of event that draws enormous attention to the country’s environment and tourism industry,” Pangilinan shares.

Event director Capt. Joy Roa is enthusiastic about the continuous positive contribution of PIHABF to the country’s travel and tourism trade. “You only have to look at the hotels and restaurants in this area; almost every place is fully booked. The PIHABF’s contribution to the Philippine economy and the community is immeasurable, and this is a pleasant activity as you put a smile on everyone’s faces.”

This year, Roa says that 28 hot air balloons from different countries around the globe participated. “We are also currently celebrating 100 years of aviation here in the Philippines. We have a replica of the first plane that flew in the country on display right now,” he adds. Around 100,000 visitors are expected at the 16th PIHABF.

NEHA JAIN

International Airlines Training Expo