Tacloban airport off limits to big jets

TACLOBAN CITY—The city’s airport, gateway to Eastern Visayas, will be closed again to bigger planes starting next week when repair on its runway resumes.

Antonio Alfonso, area manager of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, said the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport could accommodate only small propeller-driven planes from April 14 to 30.

He said barring bigger planes from using the airport would pave the way for authorities to complete the repair of the runway.

At least 338 meters of the runway need repair, said Alfonso. The entire runway runs a length of 2,138 meters.

DZR Airport, based in San Jose, Tacloban, is the biggest airport in Eastern Visayas with 14 daily flights from and to Cebu and Manila.

But the runway was damaged by storm surges at the height of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” on Nov. 8, 2013. Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas