CAAP lauds resumption of flights at Borongan airport
TACLOBAN CITY — The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has welcomed the resumption of commercial flights at the Borongan Airport in Borongan City, Eastern Samar with the launch of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) Manila-Cebu-Borongan flights on Monday, Dec. 19.
In a statement, CAAP Director General Captain Manuel Antonio Tamayo said his office wants to make sure that operations at the Borongan Airport will be “efficient and safe.”
The airport has been closed since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We would like to thank all of the stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to make this new service a reality,” Tamayo said.
“CAAP will remain committed to ensuring that the new flight routes are operated safely and efficiently. Hopefully, our travelers will take advantage of these new flights to Borongan and experience all that Borongan and Eastern Samar have to offer,” he added.
The maiden flight, a De Havilland Dash 8 – 400 aircraft, carried 73 passengers led by Gov. Ben Evardone, Borongan City Mayor Jose Ivan Daya Agda, and Rep.Marcelino Libanan of the 4Ps party-list group.
PAL executives, led by its vice president for sales Salvador Britanico, were also present during the inaugural flight.
Both Evardone and Agda said the reopening of the airport will result in more tourists and investors coming into the city and the rest of the province.
“This will be a major catalyst for change and development for the province (and) host of opportunities,” Evardone said.
PAL will fly to and from Borongan Airport every Mondays and Fridays.
With the resumption of operations at the Borongan Airport, passengers from the city and the rest of Eastern Samar would no longer take a six-hour trip to Tacloban City where the regional airport, the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport (DZR), is located.
In the region, aside from the DZR and the Borongan airports, passengers also use the Calbayog Airport in Calbayog City, Samar, and Catarman Airport in Northern Samar.
At present, the airports of Ormoc City in Leyte and Catbalogan City in Samar are undergoing some repair work.
READ: Borongan Airport now open for flights from Manila
