Guiuan Airport
| Guiuan Airport Paliparan ng Guiuan Luparan han Guiuan |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: SAA – ICAO: RPVG | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Air Transportation Office | ||
| Serves | Guiuan, Eastern Samar | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 60 m / 197 ft | ||
| Coordinates | 11°02′07″N 125°44′29″E / 11.03528°N 125.74139°E | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 07/25 | 2,413 | 7,919 | Asphalt |
| Source: DAFIF[1] | |||
Guiuan Airport (Filipino: Paliparan ng Guiuan, Waray-Waray: Luparan han Guiuan) (IATA: SAA, ICAO: RPVG) is an airport located in the municipality of Guiuan, in the province of Eastern Samar in the Philippines. It is classified as a feeder airport by the Air Transportation Office, a body of the Department of Transportation and Communications that is responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except the major international airports.
Presently, the government is planning to develop the airport to support the commercial and tourism industry in the region, most especially Calicoan Island, an upcoming island resort for surfers and beachcombers.
The IATA airport code SAA also refers to Shively Field in Saratoga, Wyoming, United States.[2][3]
[edit] History
Guiuan Airport was originally a United States Navy air base in World War II.
After forces led by General Douglas Macarthur landed on Leyte on October 20, 1944, the first step towards the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation, work began on improving or constructing several airfields around the area.
The US Navy initially attempted to construct a strip on the Samar shore of San Pablo Bay. It was soon found to be unusable after heavy rain, so the project was abandoned. After a brief search, Navy engineers settled on Guiuan, a town on the southeast promontory of Samar. Work was conducted by the 93rd Seabees and the first plane landed on December 18, 1944. US Navy and US Army Air Force aircraft were operating on the field by Christmas 1944.
After the war, the airfield was turned over to the Philippine government.
The Guiuan airfield originally had two runways, but only one remains operational today.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Mid-Sea Express | Cebu |
[edit] References
- ^ Airport information for RPVG at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
- ^ Airport information for SAA / KSAA at Great Circle Mapper.
- ^ Accident history for SAA / KSAA at Aviation Safety Network
The 61st NCB built the two airstrips that were the Guiuan Airbase.[citation needed] The 61st camp was right next to the ramp where the 22nd bomb group was and next to it the 5th bomb group. There were also about a dozen Corsairs, but you usually saw only six parked at the strip at any one time.[citation needed]
Probably the biggest landing force to land at any airbase in the Pacific War took place at Guiuan before the invasion of Luzon.[citation needed] A typhoon was headed for the task force and all the flying aircraft that could go went in one formation from all the carriers to Guiuan whach had two six thousand foot runways built by the 61st NCB. The formation flew over then broke up and landed at the front end near the B-24 ramps and at the middle of the strips. The planes were landing in formations and then taxied to parking areas maybe four aircrafthuddled next to eaach of the B-24's of the 22nd and 5th bomb groups and planes down both sides of the runways. The crews then moved into the 4 man tents of the Army Air Force with double the guys while part of that rainy typhoon hit.[citation needed]
