DOTr eyes resumption of GenSan Airport operations within a week – Lopez

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is eyeing the resumption of commercial operations of General Santos Airport within a week after a deadly earthquake struck parts of Mindanao on Monday, its secretary Giovanni Lopez said on Tuesday.

According to Lopez, the airport is open to military, humanitarian, government, and cargo flights after commercial flights were suspended until Thursday, June 11. He then ordered the immediate repair of the passenger terminal building in the airport.

READ: GenSan airport closed to commercial flights until June 11

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“I’m just giving CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines] and the personnel here one week to fix a certain area here for the commercial operations to resume,” Lopez said in a press release as he visited the airport.

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Upon inspection, Lopez said that the earthquake damaged the airport’s ceilings, and caused cracks in walls and windows of the control tower. With this, he ordered the assessment of its structural integrity and the repair of the electrical wiring.

Aside from this, Lopez instructed the Caap to ensure the function of the airport’s control tower for the safety of flights and passageway of passengers once the airport resumes its commercial operations.

Lopez added that he also tasked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to issue special permits in bus companies in General Santos City and Davao to service affected passengers from Davao Airport to General Santos Airport and vice versa.

READ: LIST: Canceled flights on Tuesday, June 9 due to Mindanao earthquake

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A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Maasim in Sarangani at 7:37 a.m., with tsunami warnings issued in the Philippines but were later on lifted.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the earthquake has killed 37 individuals and injured 479 as of Tuesday. Based on the NDRRMC’s figures, 33 deaths, 456 injuries, and four missing persons were recorded in the Soccsksargen, while four deaths and 23 injuries were reported in Davao region.  /jpv

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