Runway repair forces temporary closure of Tacloban airport

Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport in Tacloban City. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/JOJIT FB

TACLOBAN CITY — At least 24 flights were affected after the runway of the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, a major gateway to Eastern Visayas, was closed on Wednesday (April 3) for “emergency repair.”

Danilo Abareta, area manager of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said the overlaying of asphalt peeled off, covering an area of about 12 square meters around 7:30 a.m. during the take-off of a Philippine Airlines aircraft.

READ: Tacloban Airport upgrade facing ‘slight delay’ -CAAP

“It is located near the edge of the runway, but we must close the entire area for the safety of passengers because of the strong tailwind,” Abareta said in a media interview.

The CAAP official said that the operation at the airport would only return to normal once the emergency repair was completed.

As of 9 p.m. on April 3, the airport remained closed.

The temporary closure of the facility, which started past 11 a.m. affected 24 inbound and outbound flights of Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Air Asia, servicing the Tacloban-Manila flight.

In the past, operations at the DZR Airport, the premier airport of Eastern Visayas, had been shut down due to problems with its runway.

In 2015, DZR Airport closed down after a Cebu Pacific plane was stuck due to cracks on its runway. It was also heavily damaged during the onslaught of super typhoon “Yolanda,” in 2013, considered the strongest typhoon to hit inland.