NMI turns over tower control to private firm

After years of waiting, the Federal Aviation Administration finally took over the operations of Saipan International Airport air control tower, a move which Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio said ensures the continuous provision of safety to all passengers.

It was an event that Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos H. Salas has always been waiting for ever since Saipan tower was commissioned using local Saipan residents as controllers. The locals underwent rigorous training until they were certified in the Western-Pacific region in early February 1995.

In a simple ceremony held yesterday, governor lauded efforts by CPA and FAA to make air travel safe by ensuring that the people running the control tower are well trained.

Seven years ago, pilots only depend on the information from weather advisory personnel of the ports authority to find out if it is safe to land at Saipan airport.

“Everything else was left on the judgment of the pilot whether to land or not because there was no control tower then,” said Salas.

Concerned about the safety of their flights, Japan Airlines offered financial assistance to the ports authority to build the control tower. Embarrassed that another country would be providing assistance to build a tower, this led the U.S Department of Interior to provide $6 million to build the tower.

In 1994, the tower was built and subsequently commissioned in 1995. It took a while for Saipan to be covered by the Federal Control Tower Program because it has to earn the needed number of traffic to qualify.

The program will help save the ports authority some $470,000 annually in expenditures.

SERCO is the private contractor tapped by FAA for the Western Pacific Region. It is currently running the control towers in Hawaii, Guam and some airports in California.

According to Steve Bernstein, manager of SERCO, it was not easy for the agency to make a decision in hiring CPA employees since the average years of experience of air traffic control employees in their company is 18 years. “It was a tough decision because we have to hire them,” he said.

But the screening process conducted by SERCO proved that the CPA employees were capable to carry out their job. “I know, when I walk away from here, I will not worry because they’re the best. We can put them up against any air traffic controller,” Bernstein said.

Six control tower employees of the ports authority were absorbed by SERCO. Their transfer would mean higher salaries and better benefits for the employees. They would also have the chance to be assigned to other airports manned by the company.

Salas said the fact that locals are performing the air tower control duties generated a great deal of pride on the island as FAA evaluators have given the facility high marks since its commissioning.

“We’re very happy but nervous from the beginning because we didn’t know what will happen,” said Vince Rosario, one of the six employees now with SERCO. Rosario said leaving CPA was a difficult decision but he knew that it meant professional advancement.

According to Virginia Camacho, she had to work harder being the only woman in the group. “I am going to prove to them that any woman can do the job,” she said.