Australia's Ormoc Airport

11 December 2013

© Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence

If the United States of America took care of Guiuan airport and the rest of Samar Island, and Canada establishes DART hub at Iloilo airport for Panay Island operations, the mates down under assumed responsibility for assisting the Government of the Philippines in heavily damaged Ormoc airport, about 500 of them, as they put up base for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Operation PHILIPPINES ASSIST to support Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. 

The ADF commitment includes command and control elements from the Deployable Joint Forces Headquarters, Army Engineers from 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment, Amphibious ship HMAS Tobruk and logistics aircraft.

Command ship HMAS Tobruk, which sailed from Townsville on 18 November and arrived Ormoc November 26 is anchored off Ormoc City with a Recovery Support Force composed of teams from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Australian government personnel which is based at Ormoc Airport, while the airlift support is based at Mactan Cebu International Airport being provided by Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules and C-17A Globemaster aircraft.

Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules pilot, Flight Lieutenant Christian Yates-Round wearing the Philippine Air Force insignia at Ormoc Airport

HMAS Tobruk’s embarked MRH-90 helicopter arrives at Ormoc Airport

A landing craft departs HMAS Tobruk loaded with Australian Army Engineer equipment for the Recovery Support Force

ADF repaired newly finished but typhoon destroyed Ormoc airport terminal providing temporary roof on the facility

When a smile isn't even enough to say THANK YOU!