The Laoag International Airport (LIA) looks forward to welcoming bigger aircraft this year as the airport has been upgraded to Level 9 from its existing Level 7 category.

In a phone interview on Monday, LIA manager Ronald Estabillo said a category Level 9 airport permits wide-body Airbus A330 to land at the newly upgraded runway.

“This is in preparation for the planned direct international flights that we hope to be catering in the future,” said Estabillo, as he reported a market demand for direct international flights to Laoag from Hong Kong, China, and Honolulu, Hawaii, and vice versa.

Ilocos Norte province currently holds the highest percentage worldwide pegged at 61 percent of families receiving financial assistance from overseas.

With the completed airport’s powerhouse, expansion and improvement of the passenger terminal building (PTB), expansion of apron, and the rehabilitation of the airport runway which is under the national government’s infrastructure development program, including the asphalt overlay and site acquisition for further expansion, Estabillo said they are now ready to welcome new arrivals at the airport.

The Laoag airport previously could only accommodate a combined number of 140 international and domestic passengers.

But with the joint initiatives and development projects pursued by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the airport can already serve over 200 international passengers and 240 domestic passengers.

With the easing of travel protocols amid the global pandemic, the upgraded airport will enhance the Ilocos region’s connectivity and mobility as it will speed up the province’s economic recovery.

At present, the Laoag airport only caters to the country’s flag-carrier Philippine Airlines five times a week domestic flight via Manila-Laoag route and vice versa.

In pre-pandemic times, the Laoag airport used to cater to one international flight, a chartered flight from Guangzhou, China, and some domestic flights. (PNA)