TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- Tourism officers in the province recently met with consultants from the Cyclone Airways of Cauayan Airport concerning the proposed airstrip in this city.
Cyclone Airways president and general manager Captain Honorio “Bong” Camposagrado said the proposed airstrip will serve as a feeder airport to accommodate connecting flights from the international airports in Luzon.
"The airstrip will be designed to service three to 30-seater chartered planes," he said, adding an ocular inspection was already conducted at the site along the Chico River in Barangay Appas here.
The proposed airstrip will cover an area of about one kilometer for the overrun with an 800 meter long and 18 meters wide (at the minimum) for the runway. The height will be three meters higher than the river doubling its function as a flood control structure, protecting farms along the area.
Test flights are expected to begin December in preparation for operation of the airstrip in cooperation with the City Government of Tabuk and Kalinga Provincial Government.
Camposagrado said the airstrip will be advantageous to the tourism and business sectors of Kalinga since this will reduce travel time to the capital city.
From Manila International Airport to Tabuk City, air travel, he said, will take about an hour for small planes compared to the 12 hours by land.
It will also encourage more investors to establish travel agencies, transportation, accommodation service facilities and restaurants since more visitors are expected to come directly to the province.
This is aside from boosting the local tourism industry.
Board Member Camilo Lammawin Jr., Tourism Committee chair, urged stakeholders in the tourism industry to contribute to the marketing and packaging of tourism activities and services ensuring a harmonious operation compliant to the province’s Tourism Code towards the goal to make Kalinga a world class eco-tourism destination. (Geraldine Dumallig)