FAA says airports in the region are safe

The Federal Aviation Administration program manager for the Micronesia gave a thumbs-up to international airports in the region, saying that they are safe and meet U.S. standards.

In an interview during a lull in yesterday’s 2008 Pacific Aviation Directors Workshop at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan, Barry Brayer said FAA would have not allowed U.S. carriers to fly to international airports in the western Pacific if the facilities are inadequate and don’t meet the agency’s minimum safety standards.

“All the [international] airports are safe and any operations that are done, any flights that are operated in or out of the airports are done within regulations and to the highest standards,” said Brayer.

He added that aside from U.S. standards, FAA also checks international airports whether they meet international standards.

“The airports that we work with are international airports and they have to meet certain minimum international standards. There are also FAA standards that we are working with them to meet and it is in our regulations, which are very similar to the international regulations,” he said.

On the state of the CNMI’s airports, Brayer was happy to report that the airstrips on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian are in good shape.

“Of course, the airports in the Commonwealth have to meet the U.S. standards. We have a program for inspection of airports and we also teach throughout Micronesia how to do those inspections,” he said.

The second day of the three-day conference dealt mostly with FAA reports and regulations, including an interesting overview of medical policies of the agency presented by FAA flight surgeon Dr. Stephen Roberts.

There were also presentations made by airport managers about the work they are currently conducting in their areas of responsibilities.

Brayer said the military expansion in Guam and how it interrelates with the aviation and airports in the region would be discussed today.

The 2008 Pacific Aviation Directors Workshop is the third time the event has been held in the capital of the CNMI after 2001 and 2004.

“What we try to do is rotate it around different places. For instance, last year we were in Koror, Palau, in 2006 we were in Guam, in 2005 in Hawaii,” said Brayer.

He added, “We rotate around to places that can accommodate it. It’s an opportunity for both the government organizations, the airport operators, all the stakeholders, the airlines are all here, to get together and talk about issues and concerns so that we’re all networking and all on the same page in terms of aviation safety.”