This weekend, Lingayen airport will be closed

Airport authorities have decided to shut down the Lingayen Airport this weekend to enable the public to pay respects to their departed loved ones at the adjoining Lingayen public cemetery on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

On these days, hordes of people cross the airport’s 1,000-meter runway as a shortcut to the public cemetery which is located beside the airport.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines deputy director general for operations Rodante Joya immediately issued a notice to airmen (Notam), advising pilots of Lingayen Airport’s closure for three days.

On the request of the airport’s manager Engr. Job de Jesus, Joya issued on Wednesday the Notam announcing that the facility would be closed from 7 a.m. of Oct. 31 to 4 p.m. of Nov. 2.

Shortcut to cemetery

The Oct. 14 memorandum signed by De Jesus and sent to Joya cited the huge number of people who visit their departed loved ones at the Lingayen public cemetery.

“Unavoidably, people pass through the airport runway—the shortest route to the cemetery,” De Jesus pointed out.

He added that “half of the airport fence is made up only of barbed wire, thus, people can easily gain access to the runway from going to and from the cemetery.”

“Regrettably, with that huge crowd, we cannot stop them,” citing the small number of security personnel assigned to the facility,” the airport manager said.

“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. It handles an average of nearly 21,000 passengers a year.

De Jesus also said that closing the airport for the Halloween weekend was 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 airport manager explained.