Laoag International Airport

"Gabu Airport" redirects here. For the airport in Gabú Region of Guinea-Bissau, see Nova Lamego Airport.
Laoag International Airport

Sangalubongan a Pagpatayaban ti Laoag
Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Laoag
The airport's terminal exterior
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
ServesLaoag
LocationLaoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Time zonePHT (UTC+08:00)
Elevation AMSL8 m / 25 ft
Coordinates18°10′41″N 120°31′55″E / 18.17806°N 120.53194°E / 18.17806; 120.53194
Map
LAO/RPLI
LAO/RPLI
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 2,784 9,134 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers78,229
1,201.65%
Aircraft movements1,106
69.43%
Cargo (in kg)2,035,551
949.16%
Source: CAAP[1]

Laoag International Airport (IATA: LAO, ICAO: RPLI) is an airport serving the general area of Laoag, the capital city of the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. It is the only airport in Ilocos Norte and is the northernmost international airport in the Philippines.

The land on which the airport sits today is located near the La Paz Sand Dunes at the mouth of the Padsan River. It has one 2,784-meter runway[2] and is designated as a secondary/alternate international airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except the major international airports.[3]

History

Early history

During the American colonial period, a military airfield located in the northern part of Luzon became imperative. Laoag, the most populated settlement at the time was chosen as the site. It became known as Gabu Airfield.[4]

World War II

During the initial invasion of the Japanese in the Philippines in December 1941, Gabu Airfield was captured and subsequently used. During the Luzon campaign to retake the islands from the Japanese, Major Simeon Valdez led a raid on the airfield, burning the headquarters and setting fire to a fuel dump. Similar attacks follow in the succeeding days until its abandonment on February 15, 1945 due to Commonwealth military and guerrilla raids. It was then recaptured on February 27, 1945.

By April 1945 the airfield was again operational hosting fighter and transport aircraft.[4] Colonel Arvid E. Olson, Jr. became the Base Commander and assumed all its administrative functions. The airfield became a staging area for flights and air missions against Japanese forces in Northern Luzon by April and became an important refueling point for planes en route to Okinawa[5] and an even more important emergency and rescue base for planes returning from Formosa and China.

Contemporary history

After the war, the airfield was converted into a civilian airport. It mostly catered to domestic flights from Manila and international flights from nearby countries of China, Hong Kong and Singapore and as far as Honolulu, Hawaii.

In 2003, the airport was an epicenter of concern for authorities during the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak during which it continued to receive flights from China and Singapore, two of the most affected countries.

The airport became one of the stops of the Breitling DC-3 World Tour held in April 2017. The aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 with the registration number HB-IRJ landed for refueling as part of a round-the-world flight to celebrate the plane's 77th birthday.

The airport was also where 4 FA-50 light fighter aircraft were stored during the testing of Israeli radars on Paredes Air Station in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. There are plans to store FA-50s on the airport as a warning squadron for any disaster/threat to the northern part of the Philippines.

The terminal building's ceiling and floor were damaged by the onslaught of Typhoon Doksuri (Egay) in Northern Luzon in July 2023.

Structure

Runway

The airport currently has a single 2,784-meter (9,134 ft) with 45 meters (148 ft) of width. The runway runs at a direction of 01°/19°. It is equipped with runway lights but not an instrument landing system, limiting operations during severe weather. Since March 2022, the airport can accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A330.[6]

Terminal

A single terminal building serves both passenger and cargo traffic. As an international airport, it houses immigration desks for screening of arriving international passengers. It is also equipped with a carousel baggage at the reclaim area for passengers with checked-in items.

The terminal previously had a combined capacity of 140 international and domestic passengers. It has since been expanded in 2021 to accommodate 200 international and 240 domestic passengers.[7]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Cebu Pacific Manila[8]
PAL Express Manila
Sky Pasada Basco, Binalonan, Calayan

Statistics

Data from Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).[1] An em dash (—) is used if data from CAAP is not available.

Year Passenger movements Aircraft movements Cargo movements (in kg)
Domestic International Total % change Domestic International Total % change Domestic International Total % change
2002 35,766 149,995 185,761 2,384 1,796 4,180 487,250 1,671,107 2,158,357
2003 32,793 66,894 99,687 46.34 3,378 1,382 4,760 13.88 546,811 2,482,738 3,029,549 40.36
2004 43,435 91,434 134,869 35.29 2,444 1,446 3,890 18.28 906,908 1,938,637 2,845,545 6.07
2005 52,131 67,331 119,462 11.42 1,658 1,660 3,318 14.70 1,370,561 956,243 2,326,804 18.23
2006 55,677 73,180 128,857 7.86 1,344 1,814 3,158 4.82 1,012,878 1,787,887 2,800,765 20.37
2007 96,444 46,162 142,606 10.67 1,844 542 2,386 24.45 1,967,914 893,085 2,860,999 2.15
2008 117,646 38,673 156,319 9.62 2,724 394 3,118 30.68 2,011,807 456,985 2,468,792 13.71
2009 125,087 10,386 135,473 13.34 3,002 188 3,190 2.31 2,244,994 108,338 2,353,332 4.68
2010 147,883 29,456 177,339 30.90 1,231 212 1,443 54.76 2,519,297 42,930 2,562,227 8.88
2011 144,073 2,606 146,679 17.29 953 152 1,105 23.42 18,565,134 189 18,565,323 624.58
2012 180,097 7,951 188,048 28.20 2,912 68 2,980 169.68 2,698,932 2,380 2,701,312 85.45
2013 232,034 10,982 243,016 29.23 2,756 116 2,872 3.62 2,623,496 75,130 2,698,626 0.10
2014 193,237 3,200 196,437 19.17 3,172 32 3,204 11.56 2,528,669 23,470 2,552,139 5.43
2015 175,529 29,021 204,550 4.13 3,292 1,182 4,474 39.64 2,844,889 70,196 2,915,085 14.22
2016 188,664 15,492 204,156 0.19 3,456 1,260 4,716 5.41 3,143,780 121,424 3,265,204 12.01
2017 146,960 14,059 161,019 21.13 3,483 1,224 4,707 0.19 2,945,989 118,143 3,064,132 6.16
2018 150,214 1,594 151,808 5.72 3,371 1,515 4,886 3.80 3,277,172 11,544 3,288,716 7.33
2019 143,054 – 143,054 5.77 9,579 1,250 10,829 121.63 3,103,939 – 3,103,939 5.62
2020 35,780 – 35,780 74.99 2,877 986 3,863 64.33 849,802 – 849,802 72.62
2021 6,010 297 6,307 82.37 3,618 – 3,618 6.34 156,904 37,113 194,017 77.17
2022 78,229 – 78,229 1,201.65 1,106 – 1,106 69.43 2,035,551 – 2,035,551 949.16

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ a b "Aircraft, Passenger, and Cargo Movements". Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  2. ^ "CAAP - Airports - Laoag Int'l Airport". Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Laoag Airport - Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
  3. ^ "CAAP Official Website - About Us". Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. National Airports - Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
  4. ^ a b "Pacific Wrecks - Laoag Airfield (Gabu)". Pacific Wrecks. May 22, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  5. ^ "353 Special Operations Group (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. United States Air Force. November 24, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  6. ^ Adriano, Leilanie (March 14, 2022). "Laoag airport ready to welcome bigger aircraft". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Adriano, Leilanie (July 9, 2021). "Bigger, better Laoag International Airport". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "Cebu Pacific revives Manila-Laoag route". Inquirer.net. May 22, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "Vietjet plane with 214 people aboard lands safely in Laoag after technical problem". Inquirer.net. June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "Aircraft diversion for technical check". VietJet Air. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
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