THE country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) yesterday cautioned the riding public that disinformation is bound to escalate since disgruntled employees are getting desperate by the day.      

Stressing that the riding public safety remains PAL’s top priority, the airline company also expressed hope that the passengers will carefully discern “fact from the fiction being peddled by those out to destroy the flag carrier’s good name and reputation,” adding that none of its strict safety protocols have been compromised after the implementation of its outsourcing program last October 1.    

PAL issued the statement to brush aside attempts by its former employees to sow doubt in the minds of the flying public on the safety of PAL operations.

“We assure our passengers that all aircraft utilized in our flights are released only after thorough assessment and safety checks,” PAL stressed in a statement, adding that the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has a surveillance inspection team especially assigned to PAL.     

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said all PAL aircrafts are maintained by Lufthansa Technik Philippines and other reputable maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) companies abroad.         “All safety regulations are likewise complied with particularly those enforced by CAAP, US Federal Aviation Administration and US Transport Security Administration, as well as regular safety checks under the stringent IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). PAL is the only IOSA-certified Philippine carrier.

“Apart from strict security checks, PAL flights also undergo a final safety check by our highly-trained and experienced pilots. A PAL plane will not take off until pilots are fully satisfied with the aircraft’s airworthiness and only after they have determined the safe load of passengers and cargo,” she added.