MANILA, Philippines – Helpless in stopping hordes of walkers from crossing its runway, the Lingayen airport is left with no choice but to shut down for the Halloween weekend.
The walkers, people trooping to the Lingayen public cemetery for the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, use as a shortcut the airport’s 1,000-meter runway, which sits beside the graveyard.
Rodante Joya, deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), immediately issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM), advising pilots of the Lingayen Airport’s closure.
Heeding the request of the airport manager, Engineer Job de Jesus, Joya issued the NOTAM, closing the runway from 7 a.m. ofOctober 31 to 4 p.m. of November 2.
According to the October 14 memorandum signed by De Jesus and sent to Joya, many people visit their departed loved ones on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day at the Lingayen public cemetery.
“Unavoidably, people pass through the airport runway — the shortest route to the cemetery,” De Jesus pointed out.
He further said, “Half of the airport fence is made up only of barbed wire, thus, people can easily gain access to the runway in going to and coming from the cemetery.”
The Lingayen airport manager added, “Regrettably, with that huge crowd, we cannot stop them,” citing the small number of security personnel assigned to the facility.
“It will be difficult for us to control or apprehend people crossing from different directions in almost the entire stretch of the runway. Given that scenario, safety of aircraft operations will surely be compromised,” he said in his request.
The Lingayen Airport is one of two airports in Pangasinan, the other being the Rosales Airport, and averages nearly 21,000 passengers in a year.
Likewise, De Jesus said that closing the airport for the Halloween weekend would be the best option, given the kite-flying tradition in the town.
“The locals here believe that in some way souls of their departed loved ones go to heaven using kites as medium. Those kites flying will certainly pose (a) hazard to aircraft operation,” the Lingayen airport manager explained.
He ended his memorandum asking the CAAP deputy director general to issue a NOTAM closing the airport from October 31 to November 2 “just like last year.”
In issuing the NOTAM, Joya said that the 3-day closure of the Lingayen Airport would not have any significant effect.
There is no commercial flight or airline operation in the airport and only two flying schools are using the airport, according to De Jesus.
“Considering that student pilots learning the basics on how to fly are performing aircraft maneuvers, including touch-and-go landings and takeoffs, it would be safer to temporarily close the runway,” he said.
De Jesus said they needed the entire day of November 2 for a cleanup drive at the airport runway in the aftermath of the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
In February, CAAP ordered all airport managers nationwide to stop runway incursions or the unauthorized entry of people and livestock in the airport safety areas, such as: the runway, taxiway, ramp, and apron.
The presence of people and animals on the runway poses danger to landing aircraft, which could run over or collide with them as foreign object debris. As for stray livestock, they could leave dung that may cause an aircraft’s engines to conk out.
CAAP oversees the operations of 40 government-run airports and private airstrips as well as 41 commercial airports nationwide. Among the country’s commercial airports only five: the Ninoy Aquino International Airport; the Clark International Airport; the Cebu-Mactan International Airport; the Subic International Airport; and the Poro Point International Airport, do not fall under CAAP authority. SFM