Loreto, PH 🇵🇭 Closed Airport
PH-0196
-
220 ft
PH-AGS
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 8.217171° N, 125.783844° E
Continent: AS
Type: Closed Airport
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Approximately late 1980s to early 1990s. The exact date is not documented, but its closure coincides with the decline of the large-scale logging industry in the Philippines.
Economic reasons. The airstrip was a private facility primarily built and operated for a logging company, most likely the Santa Ines Melale (SIM) Plywood Corporation, which had a major concession in the area. The airstrip became obsolete and was abandoned after the company ceased its extensive logging operations in the region due to resource depletion and stricter government forestry regulations.
The site is completely abandoned and non-operational. An analysis of satellite imagery at the coordinates confirms the location of a former runway, oriented roughly north-northeast to south-southwest. The runway's outline is still faintly visible but is now heavily overgrown with grass and shrubs. The surrounding area has been converted to agricultural use, predominantly palm oil plantations, with some access roads cutting across the former airstrip. It is not used for any aviation activity.
Waloe Airstrip was a private, unpaved airfield that served as a vital logistical link for the remote logging camps in Loreto, Agusan del Sur. During its active period from the mid-20th century until its closure, it was used to transport company personnel, executives, emergency medical supplies, and critical equipment parts. It primarily handled small propeller-driven aircraft, such as Cessnas, Helio Couriers, or Britten-Norman Islanders, which were capable of operating from short, unprepared runways. The airstrip was essential for connecting the isolated logging operations to regional business hubs like Butuan City.
There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening Waloe Airstrip. The economic basis for its existence has disappeared with the end of large-scale logging in the area. The land has been repurposed for agriculture, and the region is adequately served by larger, paved airports like Bancasi Airport (BXU) in Butuan for any modern transportation needs, making the revival of this small, remote strip economically unfeasible.
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