If it ain't broke, why fix it?

That seems to be the philosophy of many people in the tourism industry who either do not give a hoot about the proposed airport project in Panglao or are even actually opposed to it. To get a feel of the situation, there are certain facts that must first be considered.

The first point is that the Tagbilaran airport is no longer feasible for expansion and therefore will no longer be able to service bigger aircrafts in the future. While well-meaning residents can point to the possibility of extending the runway, that simply is not worth considering. This is not only because the present runway is already within spitting distance of the road traversing Taloto district. The more compelling reason is that even if the runway is extended, it will no longer be safe for bigger aircrafts.

There are two natural obstacles that stand in the way of an aircraft as it navigates for landing procedures at the present Tagbilaran airport. These are the Banat-i hill and the Maribojoc range. Of course, this is not to mention the man-made obstructions. At present, airline personnel categorize the Tagbilaran airport as a “pilot's airport”. This is because it has to take no less than the pilot to man the controls when the plane is about to land. This is no time for the co-pilot.

In case Manila-Tagbilaran airline passengers are wondering why they are paying more than those taking the Cebu-Manila route which is approximately just about the same distance, ask your airline ticket office why. They know why. This leads us to the next point to be considered.

With economic considerations in mind (why are we not surprised?), airline companies are getting bigger aircrafts as part of their refleeting plans. When that happens, which is sooner than what most of the Panglao airport critics think, we will again be “Flightless in Bohol ”. Indeed, it is mind-boggling that while the provincial government is going hammer and tongs to let the Panglao airport project fly off the ground, its critics are doing everything to make it crash-land. Well, stranger things have happened.

One just cannot help but wonder why the airport project, which will undoubtedly boost the tourism industry, is being met with skepticism from within. If Bohol wakes up one day to realize that the airplanes are no longer flying in, don't say we didn't tell you.