<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History Laoag International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The land on which the airport sits today is located near the Ilocos Norte sand dunes at the mouth of Padsan River. During the American colonial period, a military airfield located in the northern part of Luzon became imperative. Laoag, the most populated settlement at the time was chosen as the site. It became known as Gabu Airfield.</p>
<p class="blog-para">During the initial invasion of the Japanese in the Philippines in December 1941, Gabu Airfield was captured and subsequently used it. During the Luzon campaign to retake the islands from the Japanese, Major Simeon Valdez led a raid on the airfield, burning the headquarters and setting fire</p>
<p class="blog-para">to a fuel dump. Similar attacks follow in the succeeding days until its abandonment on February 15, 1945, when it was abandoned due to Commonwealth military and guerrilla raids. It was then recaptured on February 27, 1945.</p>
<p class="blog-para">By April 1945 the airfield was again operational hosting fighter and transport aircraft. Colonel Arvid E. Olson, Jr. became the Base Commander and assumed all its administrative functions. The airfield became a staging area for flights and air missions against Japanese forces in Northern Luzon by April and became an important refueling point for planes en route to Okinawa and an even more important emergency and rescue base for planes returning from Formosa and China.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong> Runway Laoag International Airport</strong></p>
<p class="blog-para">The airport currently has a single 2,784-meter (9,134 ft) with 45 meters (148 ft) of width. The runway runs at a direction of 01&deg;/19&deg;.</p>
<p class="blog-para">It is equipped with runway lights but not an instrument landing system, limiting operations during severe weather. Since March 2022, the airport can accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A330.</p>
<p class="blog-para">to a fuel dump. Similar attacks follow in the succeeding days until its abandonment on February 15, 1945, when it was abandoned due to Commonwealth military and guerrilla raids. It was then recaptured on February 27, 1945.</p>
<p class="blog-para">By April 1945 the airfield was again operational hosting fighter and transport aircraft. Colonel Arvid E. Olson, Jr. became the Base Commander and assumed all its administrative functions. The airfield became a staging area for flights and air missions against Japanese forces in Northern Luzon by April and became an important refueling point for planes en route to Okinawa and an even more important emergency and rescue base for planes returning from Formosa and China.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong> Runway Laoag International Airport</strong></p>
<p class="blog-para">The airport currently has a single 2,784-meter (9,134 ft) with 45 meters (148 ft) of width. The runway runs at a direction of 01&deg;/19&deg;.</p>
<p class="blog-para">It is equipped with runway lights but not an instrument landing system, limiting operations during severe weather. Since March 2022, the airport can accommodate wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A330.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Laoag Airport" src="../../main/img/airport/lao/1.webp" alt="Laoag Airport" width="950px" height="500px"></p>