Departure
96%
vs 95%
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Laoag International Airport serves the city of Laoag, capital of Ilocos Norte province, at the northern tip of Luzon in the Philippines. Built on a wartime airfield near the mouth of the Padsan River and the La Paz sand dunes, it is the northernmost international airport in the country and today handles domestic services alongside occasional international traffic. Its long, single hard runway and uncontrolled but towered operation make it a straightforward destination for visiting VFR and IFR traffic alike.
Laoag International Airport lies on the outskirts of Laoag City, the capital of Ilocos Norte province, in the far north of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the only airport serving Ilocos Norte and is officially the northernmost international airport in the country, operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines as a secondary or alternate international gateway. For the simulator pilot, it offers an unusually long single runway set against a coastal, dune-backed landscape, along with a layered history running from a World War II military airfield to a modern regional airport now able to accept wide-body jets.
The airport sits near the mouth of the Padsan River close to the La Paz Sand Dunes, on the coastal plain of Ilocos Norte. It is served by an approach control and tower frequency, indicating the field lies within controlled airspace during operating hours, with an aerodrome/dispatch frequency also published for ground and general aerodrome communications.
Laoag has a single physical runway, 01/19, measuring 9,146 feet with a hard surface and runway lighting. There is no instrument landing system installed, so approaches are flown as visual or non-precision procedures. The runway's considerable length, well in excess of most regional Philippine fields, allows it to accommodate wide-body aircraft.
Pilots should expect an aerodrome/dispatch frequency of 122.3 MHz, an approach radio frequency of 124 MHz, and a tower frequency of 118.1 MHz. There is no ILS at Laoag, so instrument arrivals rely on non-precision or visual procedures rather than a precision approach aid.
The airport lies close to the La Paz Sand Dunes and the mouth of the Padsan River, both prominent coastal features that can assist with visual orientation when approaching from seaward or along the coast toward Laoag City.
The site began life during the American colonial period as a military airfield known as Gabu Airfield, built to meet the need for a northern Luzon airbase. It was captured by Japanese forces during their invasion of the Philippines in December 1941 and subsequently used by them. During the Luzon campaign to retake the islands, Major Simeon Valdez led a raid on the airfield that burned its headquarters and set fire to a fuel dump; further attacks followed until the Japanese abandoned the field on 15 February 1945 in the face of Commonwealth military and guerrilla pressure. Allied forces recaptured it on 27 February 1945, and by April 1945 it was again operational, hosting fighter and transport aircraft under Base Commander Colonel Arvid E. Olson Jr. The field became a staging area for air missions against Japanese forces in northern Luzon, an important refuelling point for aircraft heading to Okinawa, and an emergency and rescue base for aircraft returning from Formosa and China. After the war it was converted into a civilian airport, handling domestic flights from Manila and international services from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and, at times, as far afield as Honolulu. During the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak the airport remained a focus of concern for authorities as it continued to receive flights from affected countries China and Singapore. In April 2017 it featured on the Breitling DC-3 World Tour, when a Douglas DC-3 registered HB-IRJ landed to refuel as part of a round-the-world flight marking the aircraft's 77th birthday. The airport has also been used to store FA-50 light fighter aircraft during radar testing at nearby Paredes Air Station, with proposals to base FA-50s there as a standing squadron for the northern Philippines. In July 2023 Typhoon Doksuri caused damage to the terminal building's ceiling and floor.
Laoag today functions as a secondary or alternate international airport under the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, handling domestic services to Manila with Cebu Pacific and PAL Express, along with Sky Pasada flights to Basco, Binalonan and Calayan. Since March 2022 the airport has been able to accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A330, and its terminal was expanded in 2021 to increase passenger capacity. There is no instrument landing system, which limits operations in severe weather.