COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 21 August) — After two months of runway asphalt repair, the Cotabato Airport, also known as Awang Airport, can now be used but only by military and private planes, an official from the Cotabato Airport Authority (CAA) said.
Commercial flights operated by Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines, Inc. will resume operations on October 1, Carmencita Salik, CAA general manager, added.
“Other (runway) repairs and (development) projects are still ongoing (for the Cotabato Airport). For now, the airport can be used by military and private planes only. Commercial flights will resume on October 1,” Salik said.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced on August 19 that the operation of the Cotabato Airport, which is beside the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division headquarters, has started to resume.
Last June 21, the CAAP issued a notice for the temporary closure of the airport to give way for the P340 million runway rehabilitation.
The Cotabato Airport is under the management of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Last week, members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and MOTC officials sought an explanation from the CAAP and the contractor why repair works have been taking too long.
The CAAP explained that they were “ensuring” the runway development project would be safe for operations once commercial airlines are allowed to resume their flights.
Ronald Hallid Torres, chair of the BARMM Business Council, earlier lamented the impact of the temporary closure of the Cotabato Airport to the region’s business and tourism climate.
“The airport has long been a vital artery for the economic growth and development of our area, facilitating the seamless m movements of people, goods and services. The closure, although temporary, will undeniably disrupt the normal functioning of business in the region,” he said in a statement.
Torres said the efficiency of supply chain for businesses in the area would also be reduced due to the disruption of flights.
Torres, a lawyer, said the temporary airport closure would have a significant impact on the tourism industry in Cotabato City, the two Maguindanao provinces and the island-province of Tawi-Tawi because of the reduced number of visitors due to the heftier cost of travel.
The hospitality sector, including hotels, restaurants and resorts will experience a direct hit due to the decline in footfall as a result of the temporary airport closure, he added.
PAL utilizes the Cotabato Airport for flights from/to Manila, Cebu and Tawi-Tawi while Cebu Pacific for its Manila and Zamboanga routes. (Ferdinand B. Cabrera / MindaNews)
