LINGAYEN— The plan to finally establish a commercial airport in Pangasinan may happen by 2019.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. revealed this in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) last Wednesday February 10, 2016 citing the last letter from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) that indicated the plan to build a 3C-compliant Lingayen Airport from year 2016 to 2019.

If completed, Lingayen Airport for 3C aircraft operations will cater to turbo-propeller aircraft operations such as ATR72 of Cebu Pacific and Q400 of Pal Express.

Mr. Espino said the provincial government has already allotted the fund for the purchase of the five-hectare land to expand the runway of the Lingayen Airport.

Negotiations for the airport with CAAP have been going on since 2010, he added.

In his letter to the provincial government last January 25, Rodante Joya, the CAAP chief financial officer, presented an evaluation and recommendations “for the development of Lingayen Airport to be compliant with the requirements of 3C aircraft operations as envisioned by the provincial government of Pangasinan.”

The Lingayen Airport implementation proposal was sent by Engr. Job De Jesus, airport manger of the Lingayen Airport, on June 15, 2015 that focused on runway extension, asphalt overlay of existing runway, construction of perimeter fence, and provision of runway canal.

In reaction, CAAP recommended the existing airport facilities; proposed development in compliance with the requirements of Manual of Standards for Aerodromes and ICAO; runway extension; runway end safety area and 60 meters runway strip; runway strip width expansion; proposed site acquisition for the runway extension, expansion and for the location of new landside facilities; and access road from national highway going to airport.

The CAAP also required a study on the environmental impact assessment and on obstacle imitation surfaces to determine the extent of the development of the airport.

Mr. Espino, said the plan for the airport project is one of the major infrastructure projects, along with the ecotourism zone in Lingayen, shipyard and oil refinery in Sual, and commercial seaport project also in Sual, that his administration has prepared that he said he hopes the next administration will pursue. (Johanne Macob)

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