Converge founder to submit new air navigation proposal
Tech tycoon Dennis Anthony Uy will resubmit his P29.82-billion unsolicited proposal to operate and upgrade the country’s air navigation facilities, stressing the need to improve traffic management at a time when travel demand is on the rise.
On the sidelines of an event in Taguig on Monday, Uy said that ComClark Network and Technology Corp. was amending the proposed public-private partnership (PPP) project to include additional technical documents proving their expertise in the field.
The proposal, which will be resubmitted in a “few days,” will include the track record of ComClark’s partners—Spanish firms Enaire and Indra Group—to show their capability going into this project.
Uy, founder of Converge ICT Solutions Inc., noted this was in line with the new PPP guidelines, which require proponents to have “technical services agreement with experienced operators.”
Enaire is a state-owned company that provides air traffic services in Europe. Indra, meanwhile, offers proprietary technology-based solutions in transport and air traffic.
Along with this, Uy said they were also planning to establish an academy to train more air traffic controllers.
Uy said the “outdated” air navigation facilities of the country need to undergo an upgrade soon as it would “take years.”
In September last year, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) completed the integration of a new communication, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system.
The installation of a new system came after a power outage hit the air navigation facilities of CAAP on Jan. 1, 2023, which affected hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers.
The system that is being used to direct air traffic is composed of 13 radars strategically located across the country: at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) terminals 1 and 2 as well as in Clark, Tagaytay, Aparri, Laoag, Cebu-Mt. Majic, Quezon-Palawan, Zamboanga, Mactan, Bacolod, Kalibo and Davao.
CAAP’s P10.8-billion CNS/ATM system, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, was completed in October 2017. It was inaugurated in 2018 and began operating on July 26, 2019.
Last month, CAAP also inked a nonbinding air navigation and implementation cooperation work plan with the US Federal Aviation Administration.
