Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport

History

During World War II

First known as San Jose Airstrip, after the village where it is located, it was constructed as an airstrip for the US Air Force and a Seaplane base for the U.S. Navy by Seabees of the 88th Naval Construction Battalion at Leyte-Samar Naval Base Ca during World War II. USAF units based here included the 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), and the 547th Night Fighter Squadron (9 November 1944 – 11 January 1945).

After World War II, when the airport was converted for use in commercial aviation, it became known popularly as Tacloban National Airport. The airport was given its current name in honor of Daniel Z. Romualdez, a representative from Leyte who became the 10th speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives. He was the uncle of Imelda Romualdez Marcos, the wife of president Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Devastation by Typhoon Haiyan and contemporary history

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 mi/h and a 13 ft storm surge. The airport terminal and the control tower were utterly demolished, and the airport was rendered unusable. The airport reopened on November 11 initially for turboprop aircraft, before reopening to A320 flights by November 14.

On January 17, 2015, Pope Francis celebrated an open-air Mass that attracted nearly half a million pilgrims from all over the country at the airport apron to remember the devastation wrought by Typhoon Haiyan.

Expansion and future development

In 1997, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) conducted a study which indicated the need for expansion of Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, along with Legazpi Airport, Bacolod City Domestic Airport, and Mandurriao Airport in Iloilo City.

Expansion works for the existing passenger terminal began in 2017 to address congestion in the airport. On March 16, 2018, the expanded passenger terminal was inaugurated.

Part of the development project is the construction of the new terminal building and the extension of the runway from 2100 to. These developments are necessary to make the airport an international airport by 2026.

Structure

Passenger terminal

Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport has a single-level terminal building. 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.

In 2017, construction began on the expansion of the passenger terminal building which added 1,100 sqm of floor area and additional 275 seats in the pre-departure area. The additional seats increased the pre-departure area capacity to 635 seats, enough to accommodate passengers for at least three simultaneous flights, compared to 360 prior to the construction. The check-in area was also expanded.

On September 15, 2020, then-House Majority Leader and Leyte's 1st district representative Martin Romualdez unveiled the approved design of the terminal. Construction on the terminal with a capacity of 1,670 passengers started in the same year and is halfway complete as of March 2023.

Runway

The airport has a single 2100 m runway running in a direction of 18°/36°. There are plans to extend the runway to 2500 m. It would be implemented by 2025 to make the airport capable of handling international flights.

Other structures

Other structures include a communications tower and an administrative building. The communications tower is located on the east end of the terminal building. It serves as the main communications facility of the airport. The administrative building houses the offices of airport staff and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Ground transportation

Access to the airport from central Tacloban 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's suburbs.

Airlines and destinations

| Cebgo | Cebu | Cebu Pacific |Davao, Iloilo, Manila | PAL Express | Cebu, Manila | Philippines AirAsia | Manila

Statistics

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

Accidents and incidents

• On August 4, 1984, a Philippine Airlines BAC One-Eleven 500 overshot runway 36 by 100 ft and landed at sea. All 70 passengers and five crew survived.
• On February 15, 2007, Philippine Airlines Flight 191 from Manila, performed by an Airbus A320, overshot the runway. There were no casualties among 113 passengers and six crew members. DZMM Correspondent Hector Go said the aircraft's front wheel ended up past the airstrip after the plane attempted to touch down in the middle of the runway around 7 a.m.
• On February 13, 2009, Cebu Pacific Flight 651 arriving from Manila, performed by an Airbus A319, suffered a bird strike upon landing at the airport, damaging the engine blades. Though the aircraft landed safely, its return flight was cancelled.
• On January 17, 2015, a Bombardier Global 5000 carrying Cabinet members Jojo Ochoa and Sonny Coloma, overshot the runway after it failed to take-off shortly after the Pope's plane took off. There were no casualties.
• On October 5, 2019, a Royal Australian Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III was on its way to Edinburgh, Australia from Okinawa, Japan when it had an emergency landing at the airport at 12:48 p.m. after smoke was detected in the cockpit. The plane had eight crew members and 36 passengers. The aircraft departed for Australia two days later without further incident.

References

References

1. [https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/museums/Seabee/UnitListPages/NCB/088%20NCB.pdf 88th NCB unit history, NHHC, Seabee Archives, Port Hueneme]
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4. Martinez, Michael. (17 January 2015). "In wind and rain, Pope leads Mass for thousands in Philippines". CNN International.
5. Diola, Camille. (17 January 2015). "Pope Francis braves 'Amang,' moves Tacloban with homily". The Philippine Star.
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14. Balaoing, Benise. (September 4, 2024). "Cebu Pacific opens two new routes from Iloilo". [[ABS-CBN News]].
15. "Aircraft, Passenger, and Cargo Movements".
16. "Accident description: BAC One-Eleven 527FK RP-C1182 Tacloban Airport (TAC)".
17. Desacada-Garcia, Miriam. (16 February 2007). "PAL plane overshoots runway in Tacloban". The Philippine Star.
18. "Bird strike Incident Airbus A319-111, 13 Feb 2009".
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20. "Accident description".
21. Amio, Armin. (17 January 2015). "Plane crashes in Tacloban airport". Manila Bulletin.
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