EMERGENCY. The runway of the Tacloban Airport on April 3, 2024. The repair has affected several flights. (Photo courtesy Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is eyeing to reopen the Tacloban airport runway by 4 p.m. Wednesday after hours of emergency repair.
CAAP Eastern Visayas area manager Danilo Abareta said the overlaying of asphalt is now ongoing after it was peeled off around 7:30 a.m. during the take-off of a Philippine Airlines aircraft.
After the incident, two Manila-bound commercial aircraft that arrived in the city early Wednesday were allowed to leave the airport before the total runway closure around 10 a.m.
“The affected area is about 12 square meters. It is located near the edge of the runway, but we must close the entire area for the safety of passengers because of the strong tailwind,” Abareta said in a phone interview.
The emergency repair has canceled 28 Tacloban-bound and Cebu or Manila-bound flights for the day, he said.
“The target is to open the runway by 4 p.m. today, but it’s up to the airlines if they will resume their operations,” Abareta said.
The asphalt, according to CAAP, was just overlayed early Wednesday as part of the long-term project to improve the airport's 2,100-meter runway.
In January 2018, the airport was also closed for two days due to emergency runway repairs.
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban is one of the country’s busiest, with 36 daily flights between Manila and Cebu.
The airport in the regional capital ranked as the country’s 7th busiest in 2022, with 1,489,803 inbound and outbound passengers.
Named after Daniel Z. Romualdez, former speaker of the House of Representatives, the airport serves as the main gateway from Manila and Cebu to Eastern Visayas. (PNA)
