Tacloban airport reopens after potholes cause closure

TACLOBAN CITY—For 25 hours, operations at Eastern Visayas’ premiere airport were suspended due to potholes on the runway blamed on heavy rains last week.

Operations at Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport resumed yesterday morning following emergency repairs on the runway.

The airport was closed past 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The biggest pothole had a diameter of 50 centimeters, according to engineer Danilo Abareta, area manager of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Six flights with at least 3,000 passengers were canceled. Abareta said airport authorities would rather inconvenience “than compromise the safety of our passengers.” DZR Airport hosts 30 flights a day serving Manila, Cebu and Davao routes. —JOEY GABIETA

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