Neha Jain: http://philippinesaviationnews.blogspot.com/m 5

Feb. 3: Police patrol Germany's Frankfurt Airport a day after Wednesday's attack on a busload of U.S. airmen that killed two and wounded two others. Security experts told FoxNews.com that the attack -- and another in Moscow in January -- show glaring security gaps at airport terminals in the U.S. and around the world. (AP)

1. Jet plans to expand domestic, global operations from April-May

MUMBAI: Jet Airways plans to expand its domestic and global operations from April-May when it also proposes to launch a flight to Manila.

"We are looking at a 15 per cent capacity addition on our domestic sector from the summer schedule. Besides, we are also mulling increasing the capacity on international routes by 5-7 per cent this summer," an airline source said here.

The summer schedule of airlines starts from March 29. As part of this capacity addition programme, the airline may launch a service to the Philippines capital with an Airbus A-330 aircraft, the source said, adding this could start either from Mumbai or Delhi.

"We are leasing two Airbus A-330 aircraft next month and plan to deploy one of them in the proposed Manila route. The other one is expected to be used for servicing the Gulf sector including Dammam," the source said.

Jet Airways currently has 12 A-330s in its fleet, besides Boeing 777s, 737s and turboprop ATR planes.

On the domestic front, the airline is also mulling enhancing connectivity to the northeast by operating a few hopping flights in the region, the source said.

"We will also enhance connectivity to the northeast with a few hopping flights in the region."

Jet would permanently station an ATR to service these hopping flights, they said, adding Dimapur, Silchar and Bagdogra would be among the destinations to be serviced by the turboprop aircraft.

Besides, the premier private carrier also plans to upgrade its operations out of Pune and by replacing ATR with a Boeing B-737 aircraft to cater to the growing demand on sectors like Pune-Bangalore and Pune-Hyderabad.

2. Manila airport to drop general aviation

The Philippine authorities are looking at moving general aviation out of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International airport in two years' time, in an effort to create space on the airport's congested runways.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) plans to transfer general aviation to other national airports outside Manila, says a senior source in the CAAP.
"Our director-general has already met with the airport, and has decided that this will happen in two years," he adds.
Manila's airport, which has three terminals and two runways, will continue to serve general aviation for the time being, says the source.
Airlines in the South-East Asian country have previously called for the airport to ban general and business aircraft from operating on its runways to help ease congestion.
Philippine low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific says it had to delay almost 6,800 flights in 2010 as a result of air traffic issues in Manila. The hold-ups totalled about 633h.
Air traffic congestion in Ninoy Aquino International can cause delays "from 4min to 81min per flight", says Cebu Pacific's vice-president for flight operations Victor Custodio.
"International airports such as Singapore do not have pilot schools or general aviation operating out of their country's premiere gateways. We see the CAAP's efforts to lessen air traffic in Manila as a very positive move that can only gain positive results for all passengers.

3.General in fake pilot license mess is new P-Noy appointee

THE retired military general involved in the fake pilot license scandal at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), not only got his license back but is now a member of the Aquino administration.

Former Major General Romeo Dones Alamillo, a member of Philippine Military Class of 1974, was appointed by Pres. Noynoy Aquino to the board of the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation -- Investment Authority (PHIVIDEC-IA), last March 1.

Prior to this, Alamillo also served as consultant to the CAAP and assistant chief of the Flight Standards Inspectorate Services (FSIS) during the term of director general Ruben Ciron, another former military official from the PMA Class of 1968.

Alamillo, sources told People’s Tonight, was hired by Ciron on the recommendation of Ciron’s mistah, retired Col. Eduardo Batac, the current spokesman of the Department of National Defense and previously chief of the FSIS.

The FSIS is tasked to investigate cases involving the issuance of fake pilot licenses. Batac and Alamillo, as co-terminus employees at the CAAP, left the agency together with Ciron last year, when director general Alfonso Cusi took over.

Cusi for his part, was replaced last January by current director general Ramon Gutierrez while former commercial pilot captain Elmer Pena, replaced Batac as FSIS chief.

Alamillo yesterday confirmed that there was an adverse report against him filed by CAAP special investigator Cesar Jose M. Lucero before Cusi.

The five page report, dated August 12, 2010, informed Cusi that Alamillo, with the approval of CAAP check pilot, Capt. Rodolfo Repasa, submitted “contradictory information” and other misleading information.

It recommended for the CAAP not to renew Alamillo’s license and for the filing of criminal and administrative cases against Repasa and sanctions against the CAAP personnel at the San Fernando airport and officials of Far East Aviation, a pilot school, for allegedly colluding with Alamillo and Repasa.

Alamillo, however, told People’s Tonight yesterday that a fact finding committee established by Cusi also last year cleared him of all the charges hurled by Lucero.

Lucero, he said, was “motivated by vendetta” owing to the many changes they proposed at the CAAP during Ciron’s tenure and which was not allegedly acceptable to CAAP regular employees.

As proof, Alamillo said the CAAP, under Gutierrez, issued back his license last January, a fact confirmed by Pena yesterday.

Pena added the replacement of Alamillo’s license was based on the documents currently in his possession.

He admitted he was not aware that there was a fact finding committee established to probe Alamillo. Neither was Pena aware that there was an adverse report filed by Lucero against Alamillo.

“But if there would be documents that would come out justifying for the revocation or confiscation of his (Alamillo) license, then we would do so. A license after all, is just a privilege,” Pena stressed.
4. Soft Underbelly' of Security Exposed Following Airport Attacks, Experts Warn

Two recent attacks at international airports expose a "soft underbelly of aviation security" at terminals in the United States and around the world, industry experts told FoxNews.com.

"As [Wednesday's] attack in Frankfurt revealed, the open area of the airports, whether parking areas, loading/unloading zones, and the terminals themselves, have historically been prime targets [for terrorists]," Andrew Thomas, editor of the Journal of Transportation Security, wrote in an email to FoxNews.com. "There is no reason to believe that this won't continue to be the case."

Since Transportation Security Administration officials have "overwhelmingly focused" their efforts on passenger and baggage screening, Thomas said vulnerabilities at locations like terminals, ticket counters and other areas prior to security checkpoints will remain, both domestically and abroad.

"All airports currently have some form of [law enforcement] in the areas, although it is not uniform; and, depending on resources, is often cursory at best," Thomas said. "I hope TSA is serious about dealing with this glaring vulnerability. This would be a major step in the right direction to reducing the overall risk posed to our nation's air transport system."

German officials said Thursday that Arid Uka, 21, admitted targeting Americans when he fired upon a busload of 15 U.S. airmen at Frankfurt's airport as they traveled Wednesday en route to deployment in Afghanistan, killing two and wounding two others.

And in January, a suicide bomber killed 36 people and injured more than 100 others after detonating the device in the international arrivals hall of Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport. Following that attack, TSA Administrator John Pistole submitted ideas to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on ways to tighten security in public areas at U.S. airports.

TSA officials told FoxNews.com that the details of the correspondence between Pistole and Napolitano is sensitive security information, but reports from Feb.10 indicate the proposals included checkpoints prior to airport parking terminals, roving security teams and employing officers to detect unusual behavior.

In a statement to FoxNews.com, TSA officials said federal screeners continue to work with local law enforcement officials to deploy "unpredictable" security measures in all areas of U.S. airports, including prior to established checkpoints.

"These measures include explosive detection technology, canine teams, behavior detection teams and Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams, among other measures both seen and unseen," the statement read. "As always, the safety and security of the American people is our highest priority and we ask the public to remain vigilant and aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity to their local authorities."

But Douglas Laird, president of Laird and Associates, an international aviation security consulting firm, said implementing some of those measures at key hubs in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York would be a logistical nightmare. Specifically, Laird, who previously served as Northwest Airlines' security director, said screening vehicles before they are allowed to enter terminal parking lots would be nearly impossible.

"For one thing, there's not even room to do it," he told FoxNews.com. "There's not even room for the traffic backup."

Laird said some airports in Tokyo and the Philippines already employ such measures.

"You come up and you have to show your boarding pass," he said. "Does that make sense? I don't know. A lot of that stuff is more for show and it doesn't really accomplish anything."

What does work, Laird said, is ongoing cooperation and communication between local and TSA authorities, which can vary widely from terminal to terminal.

NEHA JAIN

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