WATCH: Philippines needs more air traffic controllers

MANILA, Philippines — The country is losing its aviation experts due to better opportunities abroad, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

CAAP said the government is unable to match the salaries and benefits being offered by countries in the Middle East for Filipino air traffic controllers.

Dubai, for example, has a starting salary of P380,000 for its air traffic managers while in the Philippines, the starting wage is a little over P50,000.

If the trend continues, the country will have difficulty in mitigating issues similar to the airport fiasco incident on January 1, the CAAP warned.