CAAP shuts down Lingayen Airport for Undas

In celebration of All Saints' and All Souls' Days, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) to shut down operations at Pangasinan's Lingayen Airport starting at 7:00 AM on 1 November until 4:00 PM Saturday.

Due to the fact that the 1,634-meter runway at the airport is used by visitors to the Lingayen Public Cemetery as a quick and easy access to reach their loved ones' graves, airport operations during Undas pose a safety and security risk.

Along with the suspension of commercial flights, the NOTAM also covers three flying schools that have an impact on flight operations and are based at Lingayen Airport.

Another reason for the airport closure is the traditional activity of Lingayen residents of flying kites at the cemetery on All Saints' Day. For decades, kite flying has been practiced with the notion that it is a tool for communicating with the dead and a means of transporting departed souls to heaven.

CAAP handles the operations of 44 commercial airports nationwide. Only four of the country's commercial airports, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Clark International Airport, Cebu-Mactan International Airport, and Subic International Airport, are not subject to CAAP authority.