Twenty-four Philippine airports can now handle night flight operations, with more being added including Cauayan Airport in Isabela, as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) works to expand flight slots beyond daytime hours and ease the congestion that currently forces passengers to compete for limited morning and afternoon bookings.
CAAP Deputy Director General Danjun Lucas made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on August 29, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series featuring the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
He said night rating, which involves installing lighting systems, navigation aids, and obtaining regulatory clearance for after-sunset operations, directly addresses one of the most common complaints of air travelers in the provinces: limited flight options that result in overcrowding on available schedules.
“Ang nagiging problema po, nagiging limited yung options ng ating mga mananakay kapag umaga lang sila makakalipad, siksikan,” Lucas said.
He said the 24 night-rated airports include major airports such as Davao, Cebu, and Panglao, as well as smaller airports like Dipolog and Tuguegarao, with Cauayan Airport in Isabela the most recent addition, where all lighting infrastructure is already in place and a calibration flight is the only remaining step.
Transportation Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez said night-rating airports directly supports the DOTr’s goal of making air travel more affordable, since more available flight slots mean more competition among airlines, which drives fares down.
Undersecretary for Aviation Capt. Jim Sydiongco said GPS-based navigation systems have also been installed at airports that previously lacked navigational facilities, dramatically improving flight safety for pilots operating in areas where terrain previously made night or low-visibility approaches dangerous.
