Calbayog: Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Giovanni Lopez vowed to fully improve the airport in this city to attract direct flights to Metro Manila using jet aircraft. Lopez said the airport's 2.1-km runway can accommodate bigger planes, but some improvements are needed to ensure flight safety. "Just last night, I asked the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to allocate PHP60 million to fully complete the asphalt overlay project. Another PHP10 million has been set aside for the fencing project," Lopez said during the press briefing here on Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the asphalt overlay will cover about 300 meters of the runway. Lopez maintained, however, that the 300-meter runway will not affect the jet operations but will make it more efficient. The official also announced that at least PHP100 million will be set aside this year for the strip grade correction, a project related to runway safety areas and strip leveling. This follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to open up regional airports to larger aircraft to help lower airfare costs.

In an interview, Mayor Raymund Uy welcomed the announcement and lauded the DOTr chief for personally checking the airport. He said there is an ongoing audit of Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines to assess the airport's readiness for jet aircraft flights. "We really need direct flights to Manila since it is very inconvenient for our residents, especially the senior citizens and persons with disabilities, to take a five-hour trip to Tacloban or fly to Cebu to catch a flight to Manila," Uy told reporters.

Once realized, Calbayog will be the first airport in Samar Island to accommodate a jet aircraft, according to Uy. Currently, the airport has regular daily flights to Cebu using turboprop planes. The government completed the airport's major upgrade in 2021. Calbayog, a component city in Samar province, has a population of 186,960.