Lumbia Airfield Explained

Lumbia Airfield
Partof:Philippine Air Force
Location:Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
Coordinates:8.4156°N 124.6111°W
Type:Air Base
Built:1930s
Used: Philippines
Condition:active, as of 2013
Garrison:15th Strike Wing
Lumbia Airfield
Nativename:Tugpahanang Militar sa Lumbia
Iata:CGY
Icao:RPML
Type:Military
Operator:Philippine Air Force
City-Served:Cagayan de Oro
Location:Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental
Elevation-F:601
Elevation-M:183
Coordinates:8.4156°N 124.6111°W
Pushpin Map:Philippines
Pushpin Label:CGY
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Philippines
Metric-Elev:yes
Metric-Rwy:yes
R1-Number:01/19
R1-Length-M:2,454
R1-Length-F:8,050
R1-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2011
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:1,442,959
Stat2-Header:Aircraft movements
Stat2-Data:6,792
Stat3-Header:Tonnes of cargo
Stat3-Data:16,166
Footnotes:2012 Philippine Statistical Yearbook

Lumbia Airfield, formerly known as Lumbia Airport and Cagayan de Oro Airport, is an air base and was the main civilian airport that served the general areas of Cagayan de Oro and Northern Mindanao, in the province of Misamis Oriental in the Philippines. It was the second busiest airport in Mindanao, after Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City before the opening of Laguindingan Airport.

It was classified as a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation that is responsible for the operations airports in the Philippines (except major international ones).

Lumbia Airfield took its name from its location in Barangay Lumbia. It now serves as a minor air base of the Philippine Air Force, with service equipment of OV-10 Bronco aircraft as well as UH-1 Huey and MD-520MG Defender helicopters.

On June 15, 2013, Laguindingan Airport in the municipality of Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental, some 46km (29miles) northwest of the city, replaced Lumbia Airport. The new airport serves Northern Mindanao, as well as its major cities, Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.[1] [2]

History

Lumbia Airfield was opened in the 1930s during the American occupation of the Philippines. In World War II, the Japanese controlled the airstrip, with the runway being extended by the use of forced labor.

It remained as Cagayan de Oro's only airport, as the city grew in size and population. However, it came to the point where Lumbia airport could no longer keep up with CDO's rapid growth. Additionally, its higher elevation above the city meant that many flights had to divert during rain or thick fog.[3]

On June 14, 2013 at 22:00 local time, the last commercial passenger flight departed the former Lumbia Airport, signalling the end of a chapter in Philippine aviation history. The IATA code CGY was reassigned to Laguindingan Airport.[4]

As a military air base

It is now under control of the 10th Tactical Operations Group of the Philippine Air Force. The airport has been selected by the US military for building their facilities under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.[5]

In February 2017, the Philippine Air Force began relocating to the airport.[6]

Accidents and incidents

On February 2, 1998, Cebu Pacific Flight 387 from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila to Cagayan de Oro, flown by a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 (registered as RP-C1507), crashed into Mount Sumagaya in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, killing all 99 passengers and 5 crew on board. The cause of the crash was blamed on a number of factors: pilot error, an unusual flight route (due to an unscheduled stopover in Tacloban to deliver aircraft parts for another Cebu Pacific DC-9), bad weather, and incorrect air charts.[7]

On May 28, 2022, a Philippine Air Force Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle crash-landed while it was about to land at the airfield.[8]

See also

External links


Notes and References

  1. Web site: DOTC resets transfer to new Cagayan De Oro Airport to June 15 - Civil Aeronautics Board :: Philippines. www.cab.gov.ph.
  2. Web site: DOTC resets transfer to new Cagayan de Oro Airport to June 15 . . 2013-04-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130419233026/http://www.mb.com.ph/article.php?aid=8103&sid=2&subid=80#.UXV3jaI05jZ . 2013-04-19 . dead .
  3. Web site: It's an end of an era for Lumbia Airport (Cagayan de Oro). June 14, 2013.
  4. News: Goodbye Lumbia Airport, Hello Laguindingan . Gallardo . Froilan . June 14, 2013 . MindaNews.
  5. Web site: US to build facilities in old CDO airport in 2016. February 5, 2016. Rappler. May 27, 2016.
  6. News: PAF begins 15th Strike Wing relocation to Lumbia airport . Viguella . Abigail . February 3, 2017 . Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro . October 4, 2017.
  7. News: 15 years after Flight 387 crashed, questions remain unanswered . Gallardo . Froilan . February 3, 2013 . MindaNews . en-US.
  8. News: PAF probes crash-landing of Hermes 900 drone. Philippine News Agency. May 29, 2022. 25 January 2023.