NAIA to close 2 runways for arrival of Japan’s imperial couple

Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. AP FILE PHOTO

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has advised pilots of flight restrictions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for Tuesday’s arrival of Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

The imperial couple will arrive here on Japan’s Air Force One, a Boeing 747-400 aircraft, for their five-day official visit.

According to a notice to airmen (Notam) issued by the CAAP, primary runway 06/24 and secondary runway 13/31 of the NAIA will be temporarily closed on Tuesday to commercial flights for at least an hour, from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, when Japan’s Emperor and Empress are expected to arrive.

Flight operations at the NAIA start to peak at 2 p.m. daily. With at least 40 flights in an hour at the NAIA, thousands of passengers are expected to be affected by the runway shutdown.

CAAP’s Notam further announced the closure of the runways to aircraft operations on January 30, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, when Japan’s imperial couple concludes their visit and flies home.

Their majesties’ official visit marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan. It is also historic being the first-ever visit to the country of Japan’s reigning Emperor and Empress.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, whose three-decade reign is called “Heisei (achieving peace),” were still crown prince and princess when they last visited the Philippines in 1962.

The imperial couple is expected to visit World War II memorial sites in the country, particularly the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City as well as the monument for the Japanese soldiers killed in the war at Caliraya, Laguna. At least 500,000 Japanese nationals died in the Philippines during World War II.

During President Aquino’s Japan State visit in June, last year, he paid a courtesy call to their majesties at the Imperial Palace. Described as a pacifist, Emperor Akihito had said then about World War II, “This is something the Japanese must long remember with a profound sense of remorse.”  SFM