Catarman airport in Northern Samar suffers heavy damage from Nona

MANILA, Philippines — The strong winds brought by typhoon Nona caused “heavy” damage to an airport in Northern Samar on Tuesday.

Danilo Abareta, area VIII manager of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Operations Rescue and Coordinating Center, said that as of 8 a.m., among the “heavily damaged”  facilities of the Catarman airport were the  fire station building, a terminal, a CAAP staff house and three guard posts.

He said “partially damage(d)” were the flight services station tower,  the air navigation service powerhouse, a weather instrument, a perimeter fence, and some airport signage.

Abareta added that power and communication lines were “down” in the Catarman area, as of Tuesday.

Abereta said the other airports under his jurisdiction such as the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban, Ormoc; and those in Calbayog, Catbalogan, Catarman, Borongan, Biliran, Guiuan, Hilongos, and Maasin in Leyte sustained “only minor damage.”

He said that  “normal commercial operations” in these airports would only resume “as soon as weather improves and clearing operations are done.”

Cynthia Tumanut, Area V manager, said the airports in Legazpi, Naga, Masbate, Virac, Sorsogon, Bulan and Daet sustained “only minor structural damage.”

“After clearing operations weather permitting, all commercial operations will commence (there again),” she said.

On Tuesday, the Manila International Airport Authority also announced the cancellation of 64 flights due to the bad weather.

An advisory sent to reporters stated that the cancelled flights had as destinations, among others, Caticlan, Legazpi, Naga and Calbayog.  SFM