MANILA, Philippines — Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) shut down operations of Lingayen Airport to make way for people going to a cemetery nearby.
During the Undas holiday, the airport is dealing with safety and security issues due to visitors using the airport’s 1,634-meter runway as a shortcut to the Lingayen Public Cemetery.
The airport operations, CAAP said, would be closed on All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day from 7 a.m. on November 1 until 4 p.m. on November 2.
The aviation regulator issued a Notice-to-Airmen (NOTAM) for the two-day airport closure.
In addition to grounding commercial flights, the NOTAM also applies to three flight schools operating at Lingayen Airport.
Another cause of the airport closure is the traditional practice of Lingayen locals of flying kites at the cemetery during All Saints Day.
The practice has been traditionally observed for decades with the belief that kite flying is a tool to communicate with the dead and a vehicle for the departed souls to reach heaven.
Area 1 Manager Ronald Estabillo said that even if there was an announcement of restriction to prevent people from crossing the runway for safety and security reasons, with that huge crowd, security personnel cannot fully stop the people from crossing.
“It will be difficult for us to control or apprehend people crossing from different directions in almost the entire stretch of the runway,” Estabillo said.
He announced a cleanup drive at the airport runway for the entire day of November 2.
CAAP oversees the operations of 44 commercial airports nationwide. Among the country’s commercial airports, only four do not fall under CAAP authority: Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Clark Internatonal Airport, Cebu-Mactan International Airport, and Subic International Airport.
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