63rd IFATCA Annual Conference

Last April 15-19, the officers and other committee heads of the Philippine Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (PATCA) attended the 63rd IFATCA Annual Conference in Singapore. This year’s annual conference theme is Invest in People—the Future of ATM. For five days, air traffic controllers worldwide gathered to discuss pressing and current issues in air traffic control, such as safety management, fatigue resource management, staff shortage, training, artificial intelligence in air traffic management, and remote tower operations.

“As one of the Member Associates of IFATCA, PATCA is continuously involved in various committees, tasks, and commitments to serve our federation,” Rudy Boctot Jr., the National Chairperson of PATCA said.

“We are committed to raising awareness about our profession to the world and seeking guidance in areas and subject matters that need to be addressed–whether in training, fatigue management, safety management, technologies aiding traffic management, and many more,” he added.

63rd IFATCA Annual Conference

This year, PATCA is officially one of the elected members of the Technical & Operations Committee (TOC), represented by Renz Bulseco of Davao Surveillance Approach. Their task is to do research about air traffic procedures, amend some IFATCA policies, write technical papers, and present them at the annual conference.

“I am thrilled that Philippines is one of the elected members for this year’s TOC. This is my second year in the committee and I am grateful for the trust and support that my colleagues have given to me over the years. This is not just for me but for the betterment of our profession,” Renz Bulseco, the Committee Head of PATCA Relations said.

Annual Conferences are an important venue to share and innovate common practices at work and collaborate with other facilities. More than learning and appreciating our profession, it is the networking and the new friendships that matter the most. When air traffic controllers around the world convene in one place, you know it will always be a great company.