Only minor damage reported in Cebu, Bohol airports

Mactan Cebu International Airport. CDN FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Airports in the Visayas suffered only “limited damage” and went back into operation after brief disruptions in the wake of Tuesday’s magnitude-7.2 earthquake, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines  said.

In a statement, CAAP said the quake mildly affected operations in several airports in the region, including Tagbilaran in Bohol and the Mactan International Airport in Cebu, but operations resumed before noon Tuesday.

CAAP’s Operation Rescue Coordinating Center reported that the Tagbilaran Airport shut down for around two hours as the ceiling of the airport’s administration building collapsed.

The closure led to the cancellation of  Cebu Pacific flights to and from Tagbilaran (5J-617 from Manila to Tagbilaran and 5J-618 from Tagbilaran to Manila). One flight to Tagbilaran returned to Manila during the closure while another, Zest Air flight, was diverted to Cebu, CAAP said.

Operations, however, resumed at 10:35 a.m.

An advisory from  Philippine Airlines said it pushed through with afternoon flights to Tagbilaran as CAAP “has ascertained the safety of both runway and airport after completing a thorough assessment.”

“The airport was opened for commercial operations after ground crew cleared the … debris that caused the terminal building closure earlier,” said CAAP.

The aviation body said operations at the Cebu/Mactan International Airport also resumed even as some flights from Manila were delayed due to a brief closure. Airports in Iloilo, Kalibo, Caticlan, Bacolod, Roxas, and Antique were back in operation before noon.

The airports are now operational, with “limited damage on airport buildings but runways are operational and no immediate damage was found,” said CAAP.