CAAP bans small planes from Tacloban airport to facilitate military, humanitarian flights

General aviation flights are banned at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City to make way for military aid efforts and humanitarian flights, an official of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said Friday.

 

Fourteen days ago, the Tacloban airport was devastated by killer typhoon Yolanda which destroyed the vital control tower and the terminal building and littered the runway with debris during a storm surge

that induced 25-foot waves into the city.

 

CAAP reopened the airport on Nov. 11 so relief operations and humanitarian flights can start in helping the survivors. 

 

Since then relief operations spearheaded by the United States military – among other nations – and commercial flights have have been taking turns in the use of the airport.

 

In an interview on GMA News' “News To Go” on Friday, CAAP Deputy Director General Capt. John C. Andrews said they have to cancel a commercial flight every time a government official makes a request to land in Tacloban.

 

"We are allocating relief operations and special commercial flights between Manila and Tacloban, pero kung may request ang government that a certain flight has to go through, we will cancel one slot for commercial aviation," he said.

 

On Thursday, Nov. 21, CAAP canceled one out of four commercial flights after a public official requested to land in Tacloban, Andrews noted.

 

"May request sa amin na kukunin ang isang slot kasi apat ang slot na allocated sa commercial. Ngayon po nag-request na kunin ang isang slot kaya three commercial flights lang ang natuloy," he said.

 

Last Saturday, CAAP said general aviation flights were not allowed to land at Tacloban Airport because of congestion at the ramp.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/335732/news/nation/caap-no-general-aviation-flights-to-tacloban-due-to-ramp-congestion

 

Eric Apolonio, CAAP media affairs consultant, told GMA News Online on Friday that a NOTAM or notice to airman that prohibits general aviation flights at the ariport is in place.

 

Currently, the Tacloban airport accommodates simultaneous relief and commercial operations through "strict slotting movements," Andrews said on Friday.

 

"All flights are slotted so they can leave at a certain time... We have only requested one-third of the ramp for commercial operations to manage more C130 flights," Andrews said.

 

"We have the tower control and the US, with the cooperation of Philippine CAAP, have established already a radar system there, which is advisory in nature," he added.

 

According to CAAP, US forces operate a 24/7 schedule that is made possible by portable landing lights which allows up to 10 C130 flights in the evening for the relief effort.

 

Relief operations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines are also being staged at the Tacloban airport, using C-130 transport plane for relief good and the evacuation of survivors of the Category 5 Yolanda. 

 

The commercial flights include four daily runs of A-320 aircraft servicing the Manila-Tacloban-Manila route – which started Nov. 14 – while additional humanitarian flights include nine Mactan-Tacloban-Mactan flights using turboprop aircraft that started on Nov. 11 will continue until further notice, CAAP said.

 

Local carriers Cebu Pacific, PAL Express, and AirAsia Philippines have been operating commercial flights on four slots since Nov. 14, but SEAIR discontinued its commercial runs on Nov. 15.

 

Since the Tacloban airport reopened in the wake of Yolanda, terminal operations have improved with repairs and clean up taking place at the facility, Andrews noted.

 

"Unti-unti nang naayos yung mga nasira...nililinis na ang terminal... magkakaroon na ng basic necessities," he said.

 

However, airstrips in Guiuan and Ormoc – also devastated by Yolanda – were opened only for relief operations since air-to-ground communications were re-established.

 

"Guiuan and Ormoc were airports not used commercially. Marami nang flights ang tumutuloy doon and they are all under control. Walang commercial flights... most are humanitarian and relief flights," Andrews said. – VS, GMA News