Philippines removed from US aviation blacklist

The Philippines’ aviation safety rating has been raised by the US. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that the country was found to be compliant with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and as such, it has restored the Philippines’ Category 1 rating.

The Philippines was downgraded to a Category 2 rating in January 2008. And while this did not prevent Philippine carriers from operating flights to the country, they were not permitted to add any more frequencies or new routes.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the only Philippine carrier currently flying to the US, but Cebu Pacific Air has expressed an interest in operating to the country in future.

The new ruling also means that airlines based in the Philippines can operate codeshare flights with US carriers.

The decision to restore the Philippines’ top safety status follows the recent removal of PAL from the EU’s aviation blacklist. All other Philippine carriers however, remain subject to EU flight restrictions.