The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has suspended flight operations at Lingayen Airport in Pangasinan from Friday, November 1, to Saturday, November 2, in observance of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.
Eric Apolonio, CAAP’s chief information officer and spokesperson, stated that the agency issued a Notice to Airmen (Notam) closing the airport, which will affect general aviation flights.
The airport’s 1,634-meter runway, located near the Lingayen Public Cemetery, is frequently used by cemetery visitors as a shortcut to reach the graves of their loved ones. This raises safety and security concerns for airport operations during the Undas period.
In addition to suspending commercial flights, the Notice to Airmen also impacts three flying academies based at Lingayen Airport, disrupting their flight operations.
Another significant reason for the airport’s closure is the local tradition of flying kites at the cemetery during All Saints’ Day.
This practice has been observed for decades, with the belief that kite flying serves as a means of communicating with the deceased and assists departed souls in reaching heaven.
CAAP Area 1 Manager Ronald Estabillo mentioned that although a safety program called ‘Oplan Undas’ has been implemented to prevent people from crossing the runway, it remains challenging for security personnel to manage the large crowds.
“It will be difficult for us to control or apprehend people crossing from different directions along the entire stretch of the runway,” he noted.
Estabillo also indicated that November 2 will be reserved for a cleanup drive of the airport runway following the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, making this closure necessary.
CAAP oversees operations at 44 commercial airports across the country. Among these, only four—Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Clark International Airport, Cebu-Mactan International Airport, and Subic International Airport—do not fall under CAAP authority.
