Loakan Airport Pagtayaban ti Loakan Paliparan ng Loakan
The airport in 1983
IATA: BAG ICAO: RPUB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
Serves	Metro Baguio
Opened	1934; 90 years ago (1934)
Elevation AMSL	1,296 m / 4,251 ft
Coordinates	16°22′30″N 120°37′10″E / 16.37500°N 120.61944°E / 16.37500; 120.61944
Map
BAG/RPUB Show map of Luzon BAG/RPUB Show map of Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 1,802 5,912 Concrete
Statistics (2021)
Passengers 1,532 Aircraft movements 386 Cargo (in kg) 0
Statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.[1]

Loakan Airport (Ilocano: Pagtayaban ti Loakan, Filipino: Paliparan ng Loakan; IATA: BAG, ICAO: RPUB) serves the general area of Baguio, Philippines. It is classified as a Class 2 principal (minor domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). Loakan Airport, the city's only airport, was built in 1934.^[2] Its short runway, frequent low visibility, and deep ravines at both ends of the runway continue to challenge pilots greatly, especially when it comes to landing.

History

Construction and World War II

The airport was built in 1934 by the American colonial government.^[3] On March 15, 1941, the first flight of Philippine Airlines performed by a Beechcraft Model 18 from Manila's Nielson Field landed at the airport.^[4] In December 1941, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the airfield was occupied by the 9th Regiment of the Imperial Japanese Army. The area was recaptured by the United States Army in April 1945.^[5]

Post-war and eventual closure

Commercial flights soon commenced to the airport. However, due to the elevation of the airport and navigational difficulties in an event of low visibilities, the airport was dropped by from the flight routes of many airlines. After the 1990 Luzon earthquake, airlines reduced the number of flights to the airport.^[4]

During the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the airport was planned to be closed and converted into an extension of the Baguio City Economic Zone in 2008. That however was discouraged by the officials of the Baguio city government.

During its closure to commercial flights, the airport was used by military and private aircraft.

Reopening

Plans to revive the airport have been announced by numerous entities over the years.^[6] There were attempts to reopen the airport for commercial flights in 2012 and 2015.^[7]

In January 2020, the city government of Baguio announced that they were considering a deal from San Miguel Corporation to open and operate the airport in the second quarter of 2020.^[8] It had already started moves to ensure that the airport is ready for commercial operations by resolving the issues seen by the CAAP such as the encroachment of residents and obstructions on the runway but have received protests from residents who have legitimate land titles in the area.^[9][10]

Although the city government announced the following year that the airport is now ready to receive commercial flights after it has completed the initial steps outlined by the CAAP to address the safety issues for commercial aircraft,^[11] a more targeted opening date was not announced until 2022, with the city government announcing that it aims to reopen the airport in November 2022, in time for the Christmas season.^[12] It also announced that it will spend around ₱68 million to rehabilitate the airport terminal.^[13]

Loakan Airport reopened on December 16, 2022, with Philippine Airlines launching the first regular commercial flight to the airport in decades to and from Mactan–Cebu International Airport on the day of the reopening.^[14]

Airlines and destinations

Incidents and accidents

• On March 30, 1952, a Philippine Airlines DC-3 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 10 of the 29 occupants on board..^[15]
• On the morning of June 27, 1987, Philippine Airlines Flight 206, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748 from Manila, crashed into the slopes of Mt. Ugo while attempting to land in a monsoon, killing all 50 people on board. A Philippine Air Force Bell UH-1 Huey was lost during recovery operations of that crash.^[16]
• On May 25, 2005, a Philippine Air Force Cessna T-41 crashed right after takeoff. All four airmen died.^[17]
• On April 7, 2009, a Bell 412 presidential helicopter owned by the Philippine Air Force carrying eight key aides of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo crashed into the slopes of Mount Pulag in Tinoc, Ifugao while en route to Lagawe, the provincial capital of Ifugao, after attempting to return to Loakan Airport due to bad weather. Mount Pulag is over 50 kilometers (31 mi) away from Loakan Airport. All on board died and Malacañang mourned their deaths. The key aides were checking the area for a planned visit by President Arroyo to inspect a mountain road project. Because of the disaster, she cancelled her trip. U.S. officials dispatched CH-46 Sea Knights to find the downed aircraft.^[18][19]