The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines announced on Thursday it has ordered the closure of Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban to give way for the emergency repair of damaged runway and ensure the safety of aircrafts and passengers.
Eric Apolonio, CAAP chief information officer and spokesperson, said the agency ordered the closure of the airport last Wednesday to “repair potholes on the runway due to the degradation of surface caused by continuous rain in the past weeks.”
The closure of Tacloban Airport runway 18/36 resulted in the cancellation of several domestic flights of Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and its sister airline Cebgo, and Air Asia to and from Manila and Cebu.
Apolonio said CAAP already issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM C0047/18) on the airport’s closure starting 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 until 9 p.m. on Jan. 18 due to emergency repairs.
“The continuing deterioration of the runway surface had to be addressed immediately for the safety of all passengers and aircrafts operating in Tacloban. The public is advised to monitor updates from airlines operating at the airport for flight cancellations and flight arrangements,” said Apolonio.
PAL spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna said affected passengers will be assisted in rebooking their flights or in refunding the cost of their tickets. She added any rebooking or refunding done within 30 days from original flight date will mean penalties and charges are waived.
“PAL is seeking the understanding of affected passengers as this is a force majeure situation,” she said.
Cebu Pacific Air officials, on the other hand, advised passengers and their clients to monitor its official website, Facebook page or Twitter account for further details as they become available.
They said affected passengers traveling on those dates will be informed and would have the following options to re-route to the nearest alternate airports: Rebook at a later travel date within 30 days, free of charge, get a full refund or place the cost of the ticket in a travel fund for future use.
“We apologize for any inconvenience these flight cancellations may cause,” the airline said.
