Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
| Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport Paliparang Daniel Z. Romualdez Luparan Daniel Z. Romualdez | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Exterior of Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport | |||
| IATA: TAC – ICAO: RPVA | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines | ||
| Serves | Tacloban City | ||
| Location | Barangay Costa Brava, San Jose, Tacloban City | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 3 m / 10 ft | ||
| Coordinates | 11°13′39″N 125°01′40″E / 11.22750°N 125.02778°E | ||
| Map | |||
.svg.png)  TAC/RPVA | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 18/36 | 2,138 | 7,014 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2012) | |||
| Passengers | 1,140,000 | ||
| Aircraft movements | 10,030 | ||
| Metric tonnes of cargo | 6,544 | ||
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport (Filipino: Paliparang Daniel Z. Romualdez, Waray-Waray: Luparan Daniel Z. Romualdez) (IATA: TAC, ICAO: RPVA), also known as DZR Airport or Tacloban Domestic Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Tacloban City, in Leyte, Philippines. It is the main gateway from Manila and Cebu to the Eastern Visayas Region in central Philippines. It is a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the agency responsible for the operations of all the airports in the Philippines excluding the major international airports. As of 2013, Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport is ranked as the 8th busiest airport by passenger volume out of the 45 commercial airports in the Philippines.
The airport is named after Daniel Z. Romualdez, a former speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives. It is one of two airports in the Philippines named after a member of the Romualdez family, the other being Imelda R. Marcos Airport in Mati City after Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, the wife of the late president Ferdinand Marcos.
History
During World War II
First known as San Jose Airstrip after the village it is located in, it was constructed as an airstrip for the U.S. air forces during World War II.
USAAF units based here included:
- 43d Bombardment Wing (15 November 1944 – 16 March 1945)
- 345th Bombardment Group (1 January – 13 February 1945)
- 417th Bombardment Group (6 December–22, 1944)
- 49th Fighter Group (24 October – 30 December 1944)
- 348th Fighter Group (16 November 1944 – 4 February 1945)
- 421st Night Fighter Squadron (25 October 1944 – 8 February 1945)
- 547th Night Fighter Squadron (9 November 1944 – 11 January 1945)
Post-war
It became known popularly as Tacloban Airport when commercial aviation began at the airport. The airport was given its current name in honor of Daniel Z. Romualdez, the representative from Leyte who became speaker of the House of Representatives. He was the uncle of Imelda Romualdez Marcos, the wife of president Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Present
Today, Daniel Z. Romualdez serves as the primary gateway to Eastern Visayas.
Devastation by Haiyan
On November 7-8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan roared through Tacloban and the Eastern Visayas Region. The Tacloban Airport was effectively destroyed by winds averaging to 195 mph and a 13 ft (4 m) storm surge. The airport terminal and the control tower were utterly demolished, and the airport was rendered unusable.
However, on 11 November, the airport reopened, but for turboprop aircraft only.[1] The airport has now since been reopened again to A320s regularly serving the airport.[2]
Airlines and Destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AirAsia Zest | Manila |
| Cebu Pacific | Cebu, Manila |
| Philippine Airlines operated by PAL Express | Cebu, Manila |
Operations of TigerAir Philippines & Cebu Pacific's Tacloban to Iloilo route has been ceased after Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Facilities
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport includes a single-story terminal building, a communications tower and an administrative building. In 2013, the proposed construction of new terminal created a buzz with the withdrawal of the budget and realigned into the Disbursement Acceleration Program of the government.[3]
Terminal
The single-story terminal building consists of the departure and arrival area. The departure area has one boarding gate, scanners, and a souvenir counter. The arrival area consists of a single baggage carousel, and a porters' assistance desk.
Communications Tower
The communications tower is located on the east end of the terminal building. It serves as the main communications facility of the airport.
Administrative Building
The administrative building houses the offices of airport staff and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
Statistics
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport is one of the top 10 busiest airports in the Philippines by passenger traffic with an annual average increase of 2.6 percent in the last 10 years. As of 2013, it holds the 8th spot among commercial airports in the country.
| Year | Passenger Movement |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 299,292 |
| 2002 | 303,490 |
| 2003 | 283,573 |
| 2004 | 289,669 |
| 2005 | 328,358 |
| 2006 | 399,885 |
| 2007 | 511,322 |
| 2008 | 627,108 |
| 2009 | 892,425 |
| 2010 | 907,347 |
| 2011 | 1,015,797 |
| 2012 | 1,140,000 [4] |
Ground transportation
Access to the airport from central Tacloban City is served by the jeepney services on the Downtown-San Jose-Airport route, from Marasbaras route, and the service from nearby Palo. In 2010, an airport taxi service was opened to shuttle passengers from the airport to the city's Central Bus Terminal, the city's commercial area and other destinations such as the San Juanico Bridge and the MacArthur Landing Memorial in Palo and to Tacloban City's suburbs.
Future development
A new terminal building has been proposed by the city government of Tacloban, to replace the current building. The new terminal, which would cost 300 to 350 million pesos, will be built through a Build-Operate-Transfer scheme. Around 500 million pesos was allocated for the terminal's construction, with the city government collecting a share of current terminal fees to shoulder its expenses in constructing the new terminal.[5]
In Aug 2012, The Department of Transportation and Communications as part of the P319 million modernization of the Tacloban and Dipolog airports allocated P251.6 million for the Tacloban Airport to construct a new apron and taxiway. The allocation also involves the completion of the north-east shore protection with shoulder grade correction, the construction of a drainage system with box culverts, and the construction of temporary transition.[6]
In September 13, 2012, the Budget department has released P4.6 billion to support the public-private partnership (PPP) projects of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC). Of the total, the Tacloban City Airport will receive P800 million to help it accommodate the growing air traffic by developing the terminal building and other ancillary facilities.[7]
Incidents
- On 4 August 1984, a Philippine Airlines flight overshot runway 36 and landed in the sea. All 70 passengers and five crew survived.[8]
- On February 13, 2009, a Cebu Pacific plane engine sucked a bird into its engine damaging the blades.[9]
- On 7 May 2010, a Cebu Pacific ATR 72-500, while parked and finishing boarding procedures for its Tacloban-Cebu flight (5J-429), was hit at the wingtip by an incoming Philippine Airlines Airbus A320-214 which was taxiing after arriving from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.[10]
- On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) destroyed the airport's terminal building.[11] The airport has now since been reopened again to A320s regularly serving the airport. [12]
See also
References
- ↑ "Tacloban Airport reopens three days after being declared "ruined"". GMA Network. 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2013-11-12.
- ↑ "Airbus A320 allowed to resume flights to Tacloban". Eric B. Apolonio, InterAksyon.com (Interaksyon). 14 November 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ↑ , Leyte Samar Daily Express, October 2013
- ↑ Tacloban airport passenger volume up by 13%
- ↑ Roundup: Tacloban to build new airport, Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 16, 2007
- ↑ DOTC bids out P319-M modernization of Tacloban, Dipolog airports, TV5, August 31, 2012
- ↑ , BW Online, September 13, 2012
- ↑ ASN Aircraft accident BAC One-Eleven 527FK RP-C1182 Tacloban Airport (TAC),
- ↑ http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/148725/news/regions/cebu-pacific-plane-grounded-by-bird-strike-in-tacloban
- ↑ PAL plane hits wing tip of parked Cebu Pacific plane in Tacloban airport
- ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/14/world/asia/typhoon-haiyan/index.html
- ↑ http://www.interaksyon.com/article/74816/airbus-a320-allowed-to-resume-flights-to-tacloban
External links
- Airport information for RPVA at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
