AIRPORT UPGRADE. Local officials welcome Senator Lito Lapid during his arrival at the Calbayog Airport on August 8, 2024. The senator vowed to secure the PHP150 million fund requirement to upgrade the Calbayog Airport for night operations. (Photo courtesy of Calbayog City information office)
TACLOBAN CITY – Senator Lito Lapid vowed to secure the PHP150 million fund requirement to upgrade the Calbayog Airport for night operations.
In an interview Thursday night, Lapid, the new chair of the Senate Tourism Committee, said the Tourism Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has initially allocated PHP50 million for the project.
The upgrading for night operation consists of building and procurement of navigational facilities and equipment.
“When we arrived in Calbayog Airport, we saw the need to install night landing facilities so people like our group don’t have to travel five hours to Tacloban City to catch night flights,” Lapid told reporters.
Lapid was in Samar to witness the distribution of assistance to poor families in Calbayog City and join some activities at Samar's Tandaya Festival in Catbalogan City.
He said he intends to secure the PHP150 million funding requirements for the airport lighting project by next year.
The senator’s son, TIEZA chief operating officer Mark Lapid, said they are just waiting for the technical specifications from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to start the project.
He said equipping airports with night-landing capabilities gives them the flexibility to provide travelers with more flight options.
Philippine Airlines flies to Calbayog from Manila three times a week, while Cebu Pacific flies to the city from Cebu four times a week.
The airport, serving more than 2,000 passengers monthly, has a runway length of 2,100 meters and is classified by the CAAP as a minor domestic airport. (PNA)
