MANILA – Two pilots of budget airline AirAsia were cited by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for their bravery.
Captain Darren de Ocampo and First Officer Victor Martin Mariano were awarded the “Kahusayan Award” by CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss and Assistant Director General Rodante Joya during the observance of the International Civil Aviation (ICAO) Day, which is celebrated by more than 170 member countries all around the world.
De Ocampo and Mariano were cited for displaying exemplary performance and remarkable awareness when they managed to land safely a plane which encountered troubles early this year.
CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said an AirAsia plane from Incheon, South Korea suddenly lost power and was forced to descend last July 7.
CAAP said the presence of mind of De Ocampo and Mariano saved the lives of the flight’s 76 crew members and passengers.
De Ocampo refused to give details of the incident and said that they are trained to handle such a situation.
According to Apolonio, Airbus is currently investigating the incident to determine what caused the power to shut down midair.
Aside from the two pilots, the other awardees are Bureau of Immigration commissioner Siegfred Mison, Manila International Airport Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado, Tourism Usec. Victoria Jasmin, Customs commissioner Bert Lina and Captain Ramon Guico of WCC Aviation for their contributions to the safe travel of the public.