Residents of Eastern Visayas can soon expect additional aircraft flights from Tacloban following a multi-million project by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to improve Calbayog City's airport.
In a recent press briefing, DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez said its current projects will soon enable the airport to accommodate jet aircraft.
Lopez said the airport's 2.1-km. runway can accommodate bigger planes, but some improvements are needed to ensure flight safety.
"I asked the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to allocate P60 million to fully complete the asphalt overlay project. Another P10 million has been set aside for the fencing project," the secretary was quoted as saying.
Lopez also announced that at least P100 million will be set aside this year for the strip grade correction, a project related to runway safety areas and strip leveling.
Calbayog City Mayor Raymund Uy welcomed the announcement, saying that there is an ongoing audit of Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines to assess the airport's readiness for jet aircraft flights.
Once realized, Calbayog will be the first airport in Samar to accommodate jet aircraft, enabling flights to Manila and other parts of the Philippines.
Currently, the airport has regular daily flights to Cebu using turboprop planes.
(With report from PNA/OpinYon News Team)
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