Laoag International Airport

Laoag International Airport (Ilocano: Sangalubongan a Pagpatayaban ti Laoag, Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Laoag) (IATA: LAO, ICAO: RPLI) is the main 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 by geographical location. The airport is a popular charter destination for Chinese tourists.

Laoag International Airport

Sangalubongan a Pagpatayaban ti Laoag (Ilokano)
Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Laoag (Filipino)
Summary
Airport typePublic
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
Map
LAO/RPLI
Location in the Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 2,784 9,134 Concrete
Statistics (2017)
Passengers161,019
21.13%
Aircraft movements1,224
0.19%
Cargo (in kg)3,064,132
6.16%
Source: Statistics from eFOI[1]

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 that is 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

The airport was constructed by Americans before World War II as Gabu Airfield. The Japanese occupied the base on December 1941 and subsequently used it. 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 recapture on 15 February 1945 when it was abandoned due to Commonwealth military and guerrilla raids. By April 1945 the airfield was again operational hosting fighter and transport aircraft.[4] The airfield became a staging area for flights and air missions against Japanese forces in Northern Luzon by April and Okinawa by June 1945.[5]

After the war, the airfield was converted into a civilian airport.

The airport became one of the stops of the Breitling DC-3 World Tour held in 2017. The aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 with the registration number HB-IRJ landed for refueling in April 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. It is also said that in the future, the same FA-50s would be permanently stored in the airport as a warning squadron for any disaster/threat to the city.

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
PAL Express Manila

Codeshare Flights

All of these code share flights are operated by PAL Express on behalf of these airlines.

Statistics

Data from Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).[1]

Passenger movements
YearDomesticInternationalTotalChange
2002 35,766149,995185,761
2003 32,79366,89499,687 46.34%
2004 43,43591,434134,869 35.29%
2005 52,13167,331119,462 11.42%
2006 55,67773,180128,857 7.86%
2007 96,44446,162142,606 10.67%
2008 117,64638,673156,319 9.62%
2009 125,08710,386135,473 13.34%
2010 147,88329,456177,339 30.90%
2011 144,0732,606146,679 17.29%
2012 180,0977,951188,048 28.20%
2013 232,03410,982243,016 29.23%
2014 193,2373,200196,437 19.17%
2015 175,52929,021204,550 4.13%
2016 188,66415,492204,156 0.19%
2017 146,96014,059161,019 21.13%

Aircraft movements
YearDomesticInternationalTotalChange
2002 2,3841,7964,180
2003 3,3781,3824,760 13.88%
2004 2,4441,4463,890 18.28%
2005 1,6581,6603,318 14.70%
2006 1,3441,8143,158 4.82%
2007 1,8445422,386 24.45%
2008 2,7243943,118 30.68%
2009 3,0021883,190 2.31%
2010 1,2312121,443 54.76%
2011 9531521,105 23.42%
2012 2,912682,980 169.68%
2013 2,7561162,872 3.62%
2014 3,172323,204 11.56%
2015 3,2921,1824,474 39.64%
2016 3,4561,2604,716 5.41%
2017 3,4831,2244,707 0.19%

Cargo movements
YearDomestic (in kg)International (in kg)Total (in kg)Change
2002 487,2501,671,1072,158,357
2003 546,8112,482,7383,029,549 40.36%
2004 906,9081,938,6372,845,545 6.07%
2005 1,370,561956,2432,326,804 18.23%
2006 1,012,8781,787,8872,800,765 20.37%
2007 1,967,914893,0852,860,999 2.15%
2008 2,011,807456,9852,468,792 13.71%
2009 2,244,994108,3382,353,332 4.68%
2010 2,519,29742,9302,562,227 8.88%
2011 18,565,13418918,565,323 624.58%
2012 2,698,9322,3802,701,312 85.45%
2013 2,623,49675,1302,698,626 0.10%
2014 2,528,66923,4702,552,139 5.43%
2015 2,844,88970,1962,915,085 14.22%
2016 3,143,780121,4243,265,204 12.01%
2017 2,945,989118,1433,064,132 6.16%
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See also
  • Louis Edward Curdes
  • 3d Fighter Squadron (Commando), an American air unit based in Laoag during World War II
  • 353d Special Operations Group, formerly known as 3d Air Commando Group, another air unit based in Laoag during World War II

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (23 July 2018). "Yearly Passenger, Cargo and Aircraft Movements of all airports in the Philippines 1997-2017". Republic of the Philippines - Freedom of Information Portal. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Laoag Airport - Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 October 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) National Airports - Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
  4. "Pacific Wrecks - Laoag Airfield (Gabu)". Pacific Wrecks. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  5. "353 Special Operations Group (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. United States Air Force. 24 November 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2018.




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