INAEC personnel (in blue personal protective equipment) assist SPEX Malampaya team members board a Beechcraft Super KingAir 350i plane from INAEC’s hangar inside the Domestic Airport in Pasay City for a flight to Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
INAEC Aviation Corporation has helped avert a disruption in the operations of the vital Malampaya gas-to-power project by mounting chartered flights to and from Palawan for frontliners of Malampaya project operator Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEx).
INAEC started its chartered flights between Manila and Puerto Princesa for SPEx using its Beechcraft Super KingAir 350 aircraft on March 18, 2020, just two days after regular flights were cancelled following government implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) due to COVID-19.
INAEC already provides helicopter services to SPEx between Puerto Princesa and the Malampaya platform off Palawan.
The Department of Energy has actually allowed energy personnel, including third-party contractors, to travel and perform their work in areas covered by the ECQ. Without regular flights, however, SPEx could not send from Manila its rotation of personnel and logistics to the Malampaya gas platform that supplies fuel for power plants generating a substantial portion of the electricity needs of Luzon, including its hospitals fighting the pandemic.
“With INAEC’s support, the Malampaya Crew was able to mobilize and demobilize safely to and from the platform, allowing the continuous supply of gas to power plants,” said Don Paulino, SPEx managing director.
Mr. Paulino added that “the INAEC team has proactively and quickly adapted to the needs of Malampaya, including making sure that the risk of COVID-19 infection is minimized during flight and
appropriate permits are in place.
“The community of Palawan has also benefitted indirectly with the INAEC organized flights as it allowed the DOH to transfer essential medical supplies to and from Palawan.”
“We are also thankful for the trust SPEX showed by choosing us. Our passion for safety has always been part of what INAEC is all about. But, beyond that, our desire to be of service to our clients, and to our country as well, drives us to do better,” INAEC President Benjamin “Jay” R. Lopez said.
“This pandemic gave us the opportunity to join these values, safety and service, to create a coordinated, organized, and effective response to the challenges posed by COVID-19,” Mr. Lopez pointed out.
“We have protocols in place to address every level of our operations, from booking to check-in, from departure to arrival. I am proud to say that INAEC is the gold standard in Philippine air charter operations when it comes to COVID-19 response,” Mr. Lopez continued.
“This latest role performed by INAEC for SPEX required preparation made long before COVID-19 prompted the ECQ. In the last quarter of 2019, INAEC rolled out its work from home program to help its employees deal with the traffic situation in Metro Manila,” said INAEC General Manager Dexter Ampong.
“As news about COVID-19 unfolded in January of this year, INAEC developed procedures for frequent handwashing, travel precautions, physical distancing, and health screening for its personnel and passengers.
“INAEC then distributed face masks and alcohol to all its employees, at the same timeprocuringdisinfectants for its aircraft, hangars, and equipment.
“Because we had protocols and resources in place as early as February, we transitioned into this new normal with relative ease. We were equipped for it beforeECQ was declared. When SPEX asked us for support, we were ready,”explained Mr.Ampong.