Lumbia Airfield (IATA: CGY, ICAO: RPML), 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.
| Lumbia Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Part of Philippine Air Force | |
| Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines | |
| Coordinates | 08°24′56″N 124°36′40″E / 8.41556°N 124.61111°E |
| Type | Air Base |
| Site information | |
| Owner |  Philippines |
| Controlled by | Philippine Air Force United States Air Force (under jurisdiction of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement) |
| Condition | active, as of 2013 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1930s |
| In use | Philippines |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 15th Strike Wing |
Lumbia Airfield Tugpahanang Militar sa Lumbia | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
| Operator | Philippine Air Force | ||||||||||
| Serves | Cagayan de Oro | ||||||||||
| Location | Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 183 m / 601 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 08°24′56″N 124°36′40″E / 8.41556°N 124.61111°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
.svg)  Location in the Philippines | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2011) | |||||||||||
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2012 Philippine Statistical Yearbook | |||||||||||
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 46 kilometers (29 mi) 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
editLumbia 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
editIt 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
editOn 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "DOTC resets transfer to new Cagayan De Oro Airport to June 15 - Civil Aeronautics Board :: Philippines". www.cab.gov.ph.
- ^ "DOTC resets transfer to new Cagayan de Oro Airport to June 15". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
- ^ "It's an end of an era for Lumbia Airport (Cagayan de Oro)". June 14, 2013.
- ^ Gallardo, Froilan (June 14, 2013). "Goodbye Lumbia Airport, Hello Laguindingan". MindaNews.
- ^ "US to build facilities in old CDO airport in 2016". Rappler. February 5, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
- ^ Viguella, Abigail (February 3, 2017). "PAF begins 15th Strike Wing relocation to Lumbia airport". Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
- ^ Gallardo, Froilan (February 3, 2013). "15 years after Flight 387 crashed, questions remain unanswered". MindaNews.
- ^ "PAF probes crash-landing of Hermes 900 drone". Philippine News Agency. May 29, 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
External links
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