Caticlan (Boracay) Flights diverted to Kalibo

Effective July 9,2009 PAL Express and Cebu Pacific has diverted their domestic flights bound for Caticlan to Kalibo airport due to the "changes to operating conditions" at the Caticlan airport, both airlines committed to shoulder the land transfer cost from Kalibo to Caticlan for passengers who have original bookings for Caticlan.

SEAIR still flies to/from Caticlan.

The landing and takeoff restrictions will remain until the expansion project is complete.The directive was issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines after a Xian Aircraft MA60 turboprop operated by Zest Airways overshot the runway while trying to land on runway 24 (twice).

[OceanBreezeInn]

Hi smallbird .. nice to see ya again and thanks for info !
Below some photos from the Zestair plane which overshot the runway ... (click thumbnail for full size)

[OceanBreezeInn]

Today, Sunday, also Kalibo Airport was closed ..

Several flights to Kalibo, Aklan on Sunday were cancelled due to problems at the Kalibo airport's runway.

The Kalibo Airport was closed 4 p.m. Sunday due to damage in the asphalt overlay at the runway, airport manager Percy Malonesio told ABS-CBN News.

Malonesio explained that due to bad weather, the asphalt, which is overlaid nightly, did not set properly. The airport official said that could possibly damage planes landing at the airport.

He added the runway is now being cleaned and repaired, and will reopen at 7 a.m. Monday.

Source: Kalibo airport closes due to damaged runway | ABS-CBN News Online Beta

Hi !

Welcome to PB! This is the forum. I'm referring to.

Thanks for the update!

So KALIBO Airport was also temporarily closed ?!? was it reopened early Monday as they promised?

[OceanBreezeInn]

Thanks Smallbird, yes Kalibo Airport was opened again today. There is also a philstar report about it. Someone told me that due to much rainfall and heavy "traffic" ... the runway was damaged. Experts said they expected this long time before but runway repair was not done properly in the past and it needs some investment and several weeks airport closure to solve those problems.

[The Dane]

Businesses in Boracay must be suffering during this with both airports having problems...

[OceanBreezeInn]

Originally Posted by The Dane

Businesses in Boracay must be suffering during this with both airports having problems...

Well, its low season now .. and I hope before high season - October - Caticlan Airport is open again.

Anyway .. even when Caticlan Airport was operating I preferred Kalibo as destination. Its cheaper and I can can carry 20 kg luaggage instead of 10 KG only to Caticlan.

The road from Kalibo to Caticlan is okay .. no problem. It takes about 90 minutes and L300 costs only 200 PHP per head. Also interesting scenery left and right .. so serious problem indeed.

Only when both airports - Caticlan and Kalibo - are not operating, it starts to be uncomfortable. Alternative is RoRo or maybe Iloilo Airport ... but of cause a time issue ...

Actually ro ro would be terrible..and the closest airport would then be in Roxas City..adding about another 40 minutes by bus to your travel time. There hasnt been any mention of diverting any flights to Roxas airfield that I have seen as yet

Kano Ed

[OceanBreezeInn]

According to Philstar from today:

The Caticlan airport reopens in September for bigger aircrafts, following the order of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to commence initial phase of runway rehabilitation, which involves contouring of the bordering hill.

The DOTC issued the order to the Caticlan International Airport Development Corp. (CIADC), a private consortium which was granted the 25-year airport upgrade project.

Recent flight incidents in Caticlan prompted the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to prohibit larger aircrafts of Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Zest Airways from using Boracay’s closest gateway. At present, the airport is limited to one way landing or take-off for smaller planes.

“With the wind factor and the hill obstructing the airstrip, pilots perform an abrupt maneuver to a steep degree of ascent for larger planes. Passenger safety is our priority in rehabilitating the runway,” revealed Secretary Ace Durano, representing the Department of Tourism (DOT), one of the board members of CAAP.

“The CAAP, concerned government agencies and private sector are consolidating all efforts to complete the runway upgrade. We have been assured that it will be fully operational in September, the start of Boracay’s peak season,” added the tourism chief.

Durano further said that though arrivals in Boracay were largely unaffected by the new stipulation, with flights diverted to Kalibo, and Caticlan airport left open to smaller planes of Southeast Asian Airways (Seair), the runway reopening is vital to the long-term infrastructure development of the airport.

Concerns of rerouted airline companies have also mounted, according to DOT Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque, Jr., “Redirected flights to Kalibo involve land transfer costs which are shouldered by the airlines. Likewise, tourists looking to spend a longer time in Boracay end up consuming two hours more on their travel by bus.”

Restructuring of the runway involves contouring of the bordering hill, as an alternative to flattening out the mound which will take four to five months.

Source:

philstar

[OceanBreezeInn]

Operations at the Caticlan airport was suspended again on Friday after the tires of a SEAIR plane burst upon landing.

None of the 28 passengers and three crewmembers on board the aircraft was hurt but the airport had to be closed....

The airport remained closed as of 3 p.m. Friday because the plane could not be moved from the runway.

Source: Inquirer