More flights are expected to be catered by the Laoag International Airport this year as Ilocos Norte hosts the 2025 Palarong Pambansa.
“We are working with our airline partners like the Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and Air Asia to bring back direct flights from Cebu to Laoag and Davao to Laoag to make sure everyone can come early and leave late,” Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said in a press briefing late Tuesday afternoon.
Several upgrades have been made at the airport with a PHP2 billion funding from the national government.
As of posting, the Phase II of the ongoing asphalt overlay of the runway is expected to be completed this month while the renovation of the terminal building is eyed to be completed in August.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has also allotted PHP1 billion for the acquisition of a 150-hectare private lot needed for the continuing upgrade of the airport to accommodate bigger aircrafts.
To date, Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Sky Pasada fly regularly to and from Laoag airport, which can accommodate 450 passengers at the same time.
PAL ended its Laoag-Cebu and vice versa flights on June 28, 2024 as it streamlined its operations and focus on more profitable routes.
For six months since the inaugural direct flight to Laoag on Dec. 15, 2023, the Ilocos Norte government has agreed to provide flight subsidy to the airline to boost regional connectivity between Northern Luzon and Central Visayas.
But with the hosting of the Palaro, Manotoc hopes the Laoag-Cebu route may be revived including a direct flight from Davao to Laoag. (Leilanie Adriano)
(Source: Philippine News Agency)