Iloilo airport temporarily closed today for drill

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

The Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan Iloilo will be temporarily closed today, Dec 14, 2019 ,for a full-scale simulation exercise.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)-Iloilo said the drill, which starts 8 a.m., will test the readiness and response time of airport personnel in times of emergencies.

“It will be a full-scale drill and exercise where there will be role players to highlight the readiness and the response time of the airport,” CAAP Iloilo said in an advisory on Friday.

The drill will be participated by multi-agencies particularly the Iloilo Police Provincial Office, Bureau of Fire and Protection, and Philippine Coast Guard, among others.

The three-hour simulation exercise will run until 11 a.m.

CAAP Iloilo said operations and flights in the airport will resume once the simulation exercise is finished.

“Once we finish earlier than 11 a.m., we will immediately resume the operations in the airport,” it added.

The Iloilo airport located in the town of Cabatuan about 30 kilometers from Iloilo City opened in 2007.

It was designed to cater to 1.2 million passengers a year, according to CAAP.

But with the advent of international flights, the airport has been catering to at least 2.4 million passengers annually.

Hence, authorities have been pushing for its expansion.

Recently, the airport was voted among the 20 best airports in Asia. It ranked 18th in the 2019 survey of airport guide and resource site sleepinginairports.net.