BAGUIO CITY October 19 – The Loakan airport is one of the airports in the country being programmed for repair and upgrading to accommodate regular commercial flights, a ranking tourism official said here recently.
Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro said the Loakan airport was included in the list of airports in the country being programmed for repair and upgrading by government agencies in line with the efforts of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
“We continue to talk to the management of airline companies to include Baguio in their regular routes to help decongest NAIA and contribute to improving air travel in different parts of the country,” de Castro stressed.
The DOT official said that being an archipelagic nation, air travel is the most convenient means for foreign and domestic tourists to visit the scenic tourist spots around the country.
According to her, Baguio being the country’s undisputed Summer Capital must be accessible by air transportation to attract more tourists wanting to visit the city’s scenic spots and enjoy its cool weather.
Commercial airlines stopped servicing the Baguio route because of the challenges of landing at the Loakan airport when visibility is zero during bad weather due to the absence of modern landing systems equipment.
However, the airport still remains open for chartered and military flights coming in and going out of the city.
Local tourism industry stakeholders and the local government had been constantly lobbying the national government for the immediate rehabilitation and upgrading of the airport to allow the city to host various national and international gatherings and attract more foreign and domestic tourists on short visits.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan welcomed the pronouncement of Undersecretary de Castro on the impending airport repair and upgrading, saying that there will be a significant growth in the local tourism industry once commercial flights will start servicing the Baguio route.
The Loakan airport has a runway measuring only 1.6 kilometers just enough to cater to the landing and taxi needs of medium aircrafts.**By Dexter A. See