Iloilo International Airport
Encyclopedia
Iloilo International Airport (Filipino
: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Iloilo, Hiligaynon
: Pangkalibutan nga Hulugpaan sang Iloilo) is the airport
serving the general area of Iloilo City
, the capital city of the province of Iloilo
and the regional center of the Western Visayas
region in the Philippines
. It opened its doors to commercial traffic on June 14, 2007 after a decade of planning and construction, replacing Mandurriao Airport
in Iloilo City proper which had been in service for over seventy years. As a result, the new airport inherited its IATA and ICAO airport codes, as well as its position as the fourth-busiest airport in the Philippines, from its predecessor. Despite being called an "international" airport, it is officially designated as a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the body responsible for the operations of all airports in the country. In addition to being the first airport in both Western Visayas and the island of Panay
to be built to international standards, it is considered one of four international airports in the Visayas.
The airport is located 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) northwest of Iloilo City on a 188 hectares (464.6 acre) site in Barangay Duyan-Duyan, split between the municipalities of Cabatuan
, where the airport proper is located, and Santa Barbara
, where the airport entrance and access road are located. The airport complex consists of a single runway, various administrative and maintenance buildings, waste sorting and water treatment facilities, a power generating station, a cargo terminal and a main passenger terminal. Its location on the Tomas Confesor Highway, a major highway transversing the island, makes the airport accessible from all parts of Iloilo and Panay by road, while its proximity to the currently defunct Panay Railways network could potentially link the airport to the rest of Panay by rail.
Built in slightly over 30 months, Iloilo International Airport is one of the largest airports to be constructed in the Philippines. At its inauguration, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
remarked that the airport was the most beautiful and modern in the country and called it a symbol of both political will and economic maturity.
in Iloilo City proper, which had been in operation since 1937. Though continually expanded in order to accommodate the changing demands of the city throughout much of its history, Iloilo City's rapid urbanization had made this feat impossible by the 1990s. The 2202 square metres (23,702.1 sq ft) terminal building, constructed in 1982 to handle the passenger demands of a single airline (Philippine Airlines
, being the Philippines' aviation monopoly at the time), was unable to cope with the liberalization of the Philippine aviation industry and the subsequent boom in air travel, when as many as four airlines served the airport at the same time and where the passenger terminal needed to have an area of at least 7800 square metres (83,958.5 sq ft) in order to absorb all peak-hour demand.
The airport's problems continued to linger with it into the new millennium. The increasing incidence of terrorism in the Philippines for example forced aviation officials to restrict airport access only to passengers, the sealing of doors and windows at airport terminals being an essential component thereof. However, the airport's architecture (which took advantage of natural ventilation) and lack of air conditioning made the airport's pre-departure and arrival areas very uncomfortable for passengers to stay in. To counteract this, the Air Transportation Office (the forerunner of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) installed six air-conditioning units at the pre-departure area. Although the installed units were able to provide a degree of comfort to passengers, the ATO recognized that their efforts were inadequate: in order to effectively provide a comfortable environment for passengers throughout the entire terminal building, twenty-three air conditioners needed to be installed. Passenger complaints meanwhile were not limited to just the lack of air conditioning: despite the existence of a baggage X-ray machine, passengers flying other airlines were forced to have their baggage manually checked as the machine was ostensibly for the sole use of Philippine Airlines passengers.
In addition to problems with the terminal building, both the airport's location and surrounding infrastructure were the subject of much complaint as well. For one, although some 1,700 cars visited the airport daily, the parking lot had only 129 slots, and could not be expanded any further. The airport complex likewise was located directly alongside major city thoroughfares, in particular the city's main highway, the Tomas Confesor Highway, which complicated the flow of traffic in and around the area. At one point, the ATO, which was already having difficulty managing vehicular traffic around the airport, proposed banning cargo and delivery trucks from passing through the road in front of the terminal building. However, the city government did not respond.
Beset with a myriad of problems, authorities eventually concluded that a new airport had to be built outside the city, and thus Iloilo International Airport was born.
(DOTC) announced its intention to construct a new airport in Iloilo with German assistance, originally to serve as a reliever for a larger airport to be built in Silay City
, Negros Occidental
(which would later become the New Bacolod-Silay Airport). Although two sites were initially proposed: north of the city in Santa Barbara
and south of the city in the province of Guimaras
, the ATO decided to keep the airport in Iloilo, citing the lack of demand in Guimaras to justify construction there. The Regional Development Council for Western Visayas (RDC) endorsed the project to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in July 1997. Despite the endorsements, the NEDA, citing an internal rate of return below the set "hurdle rate" of fifteen percent and the impossibility of acquiring some 415 hectares (1,025.5 acre) of land for the project in one year, rejected the airport proposal in February 1998, and the project was subsequently excluded from the 1998 development cooperation program of the German government.
Concurrent though with the planning of the new airport, the Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA) initiated a study on the master planning and long-term development plans of four key domestic airports in the Philippines. The report cited Mandurriao Airport, Bacolod City Domestic Airport
, Legazpi Airport
and Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
in Tacloban City
as these key domestic airports, noting the high growth of passenger and cargo volume there and the eventual need for expansion. Heeding the recommendations of the JICA report, President
Joseph Estrada
signed a memorandum in November 1998 creating the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, headed by Iloilo-born senator Franklin Drilon
. The coordinating committee decided that a new airport was needed for Iloilo City as Mandurriao Airport was deemed unexpandable due to operational obstacles and the presence of slum
s and other natural and civic structures that would restrict expansion efforts. In addition, the committee, objecting to the idea that the new airport would serve merely as a reliever for the new Bacolod airport, successfully lobbied for an international airport to be built in lieu of a domestic one. The project finally received NEDA approval in March 2000, with Cabatuan as the location of the new airport based on a study performed by both the DOTC and the JICA later that year.
Although multiple funding sources were originally considered by the NEDA to fund the airport's construction, it was decided that the project should avail of an official development assistance
facility offered by the Japanese government through the then-newly formed Japan Bank for International Cooperation
(JBIC). After almost two years of negotiations, and after initially refusing to bankroll the project, the JBIC extended a 6.2 billion peso
(US$
152 million) loan to the Philippine government in August 2000.
The Iloilo International Airport project was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
on January 25, 2004, and construction work on the new airport started on April 14 that year. The original expected deadline of completion was June 2007, although this was moved to the first quarter of 2007. A joint venture
between the Taisei Corporation
and the Shimizu Corporation
of Japan served as the contractor for the project, with Phil-Japan Airport Consultants, Inc. managing the project and serving as the government's consultant to the project. The project was 75 percent complete as of July 14, 2006 and fully complete by March 18, 2007. While construction was completed ahead of schedule, the airport was constructed over budget, with a final cost of around 8.8 billion pesos ($201 million) caused by increases in the cost of civil works and consultancy services.
; and Graciano Lopez-Jaena International Airport, named after the Iloilo-born Graciano López Jaena
, proposed by the Dr. Graciano Lopez-Jaena Foundation with the support of the RDC and Antique governor Perez, who is also a member of the foundation, and endorsed by the National Historical Institute.
Out of the three proposals, the name Panay International Airport was dropped due to opposition by the Iloilo city and provincial governments, the mayor of Cabatuan and Justice
Secretary Raul Gonzalez
, all citing that it is illogical to rename an airport after an island as large as Panay. Prospects for Graciano Lopez-Jaena International Airport are better, with Iloilo governor Niel Tupas saying that the feasibility of renaming the airport after López Jaena or any other Ilonggo should be studied first.
Local newspaper The News Today
issued an informal survey asking Iloilo City residents what should be the name of the airport and why. Although the survey is non-scientific, a plurality of the nineteen respondents suggested that the name be kept as Iloilo International Airport.
Iloilo International Airport was originally scheduled to open on March 19, 2007, when its inaugural flight would land; however, this was moved to April 16, with commercial operations commencing on April 21. This date was likewise scrapped due to the inability of the President to attend because of the hospitalization of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo
, with a new date scheduled for sometime in late April. Some sources indicated that the airport would open on May 10, 2007 during a major TEAM Unity
rally in Iloilo City that President Arroyo was expected to attend, although this date was not considered in favor of a date after the 2007 elections
, specifically in June, in order to avoid political overtones from dominating the airport's opening. The final date chosen for the airport's inauguration was June 13, 2007, with commercial services commencing the next day. By that time, airlines had already transferred their offices to the new airport.
The airport was formally opened on June 13 with the arrival of the presidential aircraft at the new airport at around 9:50 am PST
, with Governor Tupas leading provincial and city officials in welcoming the President to the new facility. The inauguration of the new airport also included figures such as Japanese ambassador Ryuchiro Yamazaki and Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza
, who assisted the President in leading the inaugural rites. The facility itself was formally commissioned at 5:00 am PST on June 14, coinciding with the simultaneous decommissioning of Mandurriao Airport. The first commercial flight to land at the new airport was Air Philippines
Flight 987, a Boeing 737-200
that departed from Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(Manila
) and landed at 6:05 am PST the same day.
Operations on the first day of the airport's commercial activity ran smoothly, although a baggage conveyor belt
and X-ray machines malfunctioned due to a sudden surge in passengers trying to catch their early morning flights. Some tension marred the airport's first day after baggage porter
s who worked at the old airport insisted on working at the new airport. The ATO, DOTC and the porters have since agreed to a closed-door conference and later on to refer the problem to DOTC Assistant Secretary Red Kapunan, the person in charge of international airports in the Philippines.
and Boeing 767
. Runway lights and an Instrument Landing System
were installed, making the airport capable of supporting low-visibility and night landings.
designed to accommodate around 1.2 million passengers annually. Believed to be one of the most beautifully-designed airport terminals in the Philippines, its architectural style is said to be reminiscent of Hong Kong International Airport
, albeit on a smaller scale. It is divided into three levels: arrivals and baggage claim on the first floor, check-in on the second floor and departures on the third floor. The pre-departure area at Iloilo International Airport has a capacity of 436 passengers. Three jet bridges protrude from the terminal above a 48000 square metres (516,667.7 sq ft) apron
, enabling Iloilo International Airport to handle up to six aircraft simultaneously. When fully extended, the jet bridges stretch to a length of 35 metres (114.8 ft).
The terminal is equipped with six X-ray machine
s, as well as escalator
s and staircases for departing and arriving passengers' use. There are also two elevator
s, one for very important person
s and one for disabled passengers. Two pocket gardens have been installed at the terminal, one each for both the departure and arrival halls. The building features ten modern check-in
counters with LCD
monitors. The terminal makes extensive use of natural lighting, designed for energy efficiency. Other amenities available to passengers include a special smoking room, a VIP lounge, a Mabuhay Lounge for Philippine Airlines business class passengers and counters for hotel
and car rental
bookings, as well as areas for airport stores and payphone
s.
terminal, designed to handle up to 11,500 tons of cargo annually. The three-storey building, built in an architectural style similar to that of the main terminal building, has a covered platform, bathrooms, government offices and cargo handling areas, as well as its own parking lot. Airline offices also occupy the structure, secured by means of a perimeter fence with a guard house.
equipped with air navigation equipment and radar
systems. A briefing room for pilots is found inside the control tower. Additionally, the airport complex has a fire station
equipped with three fire trucks, a maintenance building, a mechanical building and an administrative building. In front of the passenger terminal is a 415-slot parking lot
for the use of passengers, employees and airport visitors.
The airport has a power back-up system and a power generating station that enables the airport to run in the event of a power outage, returning the supply of electric power to the facility within three seconds. The airport has water treatment facilities and a 6 hectares (14.8 acre) man-made pond used for flood control and drainage purposes as well as for the irrigation of nearby farmland. A waste treatment and sorting facility on the airport grounds converts solid waste into fertilizer
for the use of surrounding farms.
Iloilo International Airport currently services an average of 42 flights daily on three domestic routes. No airline has operated international routes to and from Iloilo, and proposals for the launching of international flights have yet to materialize. At the time of its opening, the ATO believed that international flights out of and to the airport might not begin until 2008, although international passenger flights could commence once Iloilo International Airport meets ICAO
standards. A study was conducted on the feasibility of the airport serving international flights, and the CAAP recently announced that the airport meets ICAO standards, allowing for international flights to land at the airport.
The DOTC plans to stage international cargo flights out of the airport, as sixty percent of Philippine seafood
exports come from Panay. Japan and Hong Kong have been cited as potential first destinations of these cargo flights.
On January 31, 2008, the Iloilo city government announced that Cebu Pacific was considering starting international services from Iloilo, initially with a route to Hong Kong to cater to the large number of Overseas Filipino
s there. Philippine Airlines later announced its intent to serve this route as well, suggesting that Iloilo tourism authorities mount thrice-weekly charter flights to the city using PAL Airbus A320
aircraft. City government officials also believed that the opening of a Cathay Pacific
office in Iloilo City may bode well for future service to Hong Kong. In addition to Hong Kong flights, the Center for Research and Communication of the University of Asia and the Pacific
has called for flights from Iloilo City to Japan, South Korea and mainland China
.
PAL Express
, a subsidiary of Philippine Airlines, is considering a direct route from Iloilo to Malay
to boost Boracay
-bound tourism traffic. A resolution passed by the Iloilo City Local Development Council (ICLDC) called on PAL president Jaime Bautista to institute direct flights to Malay from Iloilo, with onward service to Cebu City on the return portion from Malay. However, PAL has questioned the route's feasibility, citing congestion at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport
which serves that municipality.
Iloilo International Airport is connected to Iloilo City proper via the Tomas Confesor Highway. At Bangga Dama in Santa Barbara, a bypass
branches from the highway, leading to a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long, 30 metres (98.4 ft) wide access road
which links the airport complex to the highway. The access road is wide enough to be able to accommodate four lanes of traffic. The estimated travel time to the airport from Iloilo City proper is around thirty minutes.
To relieve crowding on the main access road during peak hours, a 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) secondary access road was constructed, connecting the airport to Cabatuan proper. The 124 million-peso ($2.6 million) road is expected to improve connectivity between the airport and both northern Iloilo and southern Capiz
, as well as reduce travel times from there to the airport by at least fifteen minutes. The two-lane road opened in July 2010.
routes to and from the airport are being studied, no franchises for transport services to the airport have been granted yet by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board
(LTFRB). Some transport operators, however, are showing interest in starting shuttle services to the airport from Iloilo City, while others have drawn proposals for public transport routes from Iloilo City directly to the airport. A shuttle service is currently available to the airport from Iloilo City, with pick-up and drop-off points at SM City Iloilo
and Jaro Plaza.
Taxi
service is available to the airport from Iloilo City proper, with the average fare from Jaro Plaza in downtown Iloilo City costing around 163 pesos ($3.90) as of 2007. However, taxi operators have filed a petition with the LTFRB to increase airport rates by 150 pesos, a move opposed by Governor Tupas as it would make taxi fares to the airport the most expensive out of any route going to an airport in the Philippines, as well as hurt the tourism industry.
Iloilo International Airport is accessible via jeepney
to Santa Barbara town proper, after which travelers may take a share taxi
to the airport. Travelers may also take jeepneys en route to Cabatuan, Calinog
or Janiuay
, all of which stop at Santa Barbara.
in Hong Kong and similar systems in other cities, has been proposed. A study to determine the feasibility of a train service has since been commissioned by the city government. Other proposals to connect the airport to the city via rail include the revival of the currently defunct Panay Railways network which has a station in Santa Barbara town proper.
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Iloilo, Hiligaynon
Hiligaynon language
Hiligaynon, often referred to as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian language spoken in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.Hiligaynon is concentrated in the provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Capiz but is also spoken in the other provinces of the Panay Island group, including Antique,...
: Pangkalibutan nga Hulugpaan sang Iloilo) is the airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
serving the general area of Iloilo City
Iloilo City
The City of Iloilo is a highly urbanized city in the Philippines and the capital city of Iloilo province. It is the regional center of the Western Visayas, as well as the center of the Iloilo-Guimaras Metropolitan Area...
, the capital city of the province of Iloilo
Iloilo
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
and the regional center of the Western Visayas
Western Visayas
Western Visayas, one of the regions of the Philippines, is designated as Region VI. It consists of six provinces; Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo and 16 cities making it the region with the highest number of cities. Iloilo City is the regional center...
region in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It opened its doors to commercial traffic on June 14, 2007 after a decade of planning and construction, replacing Mandurriao Airport
Mandurriao Airport
Mandurriao Airport , also known as Iloilo Airport during its operation, was the main airport serving the area of Iloilo City and the province of Iloilo in the Philippines. The airport was located five kilometers northwest of downtown Iloilo City in the district of Mandurriao...
in Iloilo City proper which had been in service for over seventy years. As a result, the new airport inherited its IATA and ICAO airport codes, as well as its position as the fourth-busiest airport in the Philippines, from its predecessor. Despite being called an "international" airport, it is officially designated as a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the body responsible for the operations of all airports in the country. In addition to being the first airport in both Western Visayas and the island of Panay
Panay
Panay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
to be built to international standards, it is considered one of four international airports in the Visayas.
The airport is located 19 kilometres (11.8 mi) northwest of Iloilo City on a 188 hectares (464.6 acre) site in Barangay Duyan-Duyan, split between the municipalities of Cabatuan
Cabatuan, Iloilo
Cabatuan is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2007 census by the National Statistics Office of the Philippines, it has a population of 50,861 people. It is described as a cultural and religious town in the heart of Panay Island and is about 24...
, where the airport proper is located, and Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, Iloilo
Santa Barbara is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 46,076 in 8,821 households and is strategically located in the center of Iloilo, 15.7 kilometers away from the Iloilo City.The Iloilo International Airport is...
, where the airport entrance and access road are located. The airport complex consists of a single runway, various administrative and maintenance buildings, waste sorting and water treatment facilities, a power generating station, a cargo terminal and a main passenger terminal. Its location on the Tomas Confesor Highway, a major highway transversing the island, makes the airport accessible from all parts of Iloilo and Panay by road, while its proximity to the currently defunct Panay Railways network could potentially link the airport to the rest of Panay by rail.
Built in slightly over 30 months, Iloilo International Airport is one of the largest airports to be constructed in the Philippines. At its inauguration, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
remarked that the airport was the most beautiful and modern in the country and called it a symbol of both political will and economic maturity.
The situation at Mandurriao Airport
Prior to the construction of Iloilo International Airport, Iloilo City was served by Mandurriao AirportMandurriao Airport
Mandurriao Airport , also known as Iloilo Airport during its operation, was the main airport serving the area of Iloilo City and the province of Iloilo in the Philippines. The airport was located five kilometers northwest of downtown Iloilo City in the district of Mandurriao...
in Iloilo City proper, which had been in operation since 1937. Though continually expanded in order to accommodate the changing demands of the city throughout much of its history, Iloilo City's rapid urbanization had made this feat impossible by the 1990s. The 2202 square metres (23,702.1 sq ft) terminal building, constructed in 1982 to handle the passenger demands of a single airline (Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines, Inc. operating as Philippine Airlines, is a flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered in the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name...
, being the Philippines' aviation monopoly at the time), was unable to cope with the liberalization of the Philippine aviation industry and the subsequent boom in air travel, when as many as four airlines served the airport at the same time and where the passenger terminal needed to have an area of at least 7800 square metres (83,958.5 sq ft) in order to absorb all peak-hour demand.
The airport's problems continued to linger with it into the new millennium. The increasing incidence of terrorism in the Philippines for example forced aviation officials to restrict airport access only to passengers, the sealing of doors and windows at airport terminals being an essential component thereof. However, the airport's architecture (which took advantage of natural ventilation) and lack of air conditioning made the airport's pre-departure and arrival areas very uncomfortable for passengers to stay in. To counteract this, the Air Transportation Office (the forerunner of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) installed six air-conditioning units at the pre-departure area. Although the installed units were able to provide a degree of comfort to passengers, the ATO recognized that their efforts were inadequate: in order to effectively provide a comfortable environment for passengers throughout the entire terminal building, twenty-three air conditioners needed to be installed. Passenger complaints meanwhile were not limited to just the lack of air conditioning: despite the existence of a baggage X-ray machine, passengers flying other airlines were forced to have their baggage manually checked as the machine was ostensibly for the sole use of Philippine Airlines passengers.
In addition to problems with the terminal building, both the airport's location and surrounding infrastructure were the subject of much complaint as well. For one, although some 1,700 cars visited the airport daily, the parking lot had only 129 slots, and could not be expanded any further. The airport complex likewise was located directly alongside major city thoroughfares, in particular the city's main highway, the Tomas Confesor Highway, which complicated the flow of traffic in and around the area. At one point, the ATO, which was already having difficulty managing vehicular traffic around the airport, proposed banning cargo and delivery trucks from passing through the road in front of the terminal building. However, the city government did not respond.
Beset with a myriad of problems, authorities eventually concluded that a new airport had to be built outside the city, and thus Iloilo International Airport was born.
Planning and construction
In October 1995, the Iloilo city government announced its intention to construct a new airport outside the city in cooperation with the private sector. A year later, the Department of Transportation and CommunicationsDepartment of Transportation and Communications (Philippines)
The Department of Transportation and Communications is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and dependable transportation and communications systems as effective instruments for national recovery and economic...
(DOTC) announced its intention to construct a new airport in Iloilo with German assistance, originally to serve as a reliever for a larger airport to be built in Silay City
Silay City
Silay City is a 2nd class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the August 1, 2007 census, it had a total population of 120,365 people...
, Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Bacolod City and it occupies the northwestern half of Negros Island; Negros Oriental is at the southeastern half...
(which would later become the New Bacolod-Silay Airport). Although two sites were initially proposed: north of the city in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, Iloilo
Santa Barbara is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 46,076 in 8,821 households and is strategically located in the center of Iloilo, 15.7 kilometers away from the Iloilo City.The Iloilo International Airport is...
and south of the city in the province of Guimaras
Guimaras
Guimaras is an island province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Among the smallest provinces, its capital is Jordan. The island is located in the Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros...
, the ATO decided to keep the airport in Iloilo, citing the lack of demand in Guimaras to justify construction there. The Regional Development Council for Western Visayas (RDC) endorsed the project to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in July 1997. Despite the endorsements, the NEDA, citing an internal rate of return below the set "hurdle rate" of fifteen percent and the impossibility of acquiring some 415 hectares (1,025.5 acre) of land for the project in one year, rejected the airport proposal in February 1998, and the project was subsequently excluded from the 1998 development cooperation program of the German government.
Concurrent though with the planning of the new airport, the Japan International Cooperation Agency
Japan International Cooperation Agency
The Japan International Cooperation Agency is an independent governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance for the government of Japan...
(JICA) initiated a study on the master planning and long-term development plans of four key domestic airports in the Philippines. The report cited Mandurriao Airport, Bacolod City Domestic Airport
Bacolod City Domestic Airport
Bacolod City Domestic Airport , also known as Bacolod Airport, was the airport serving the general area of Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental in the Philippines...
, Legazpi Airport
Legazpi Airport
Legazpi Airport in the Philippines is a major airport in the Bicol Region, serving the vicinity of Legazpi City in Albay...
and Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
-Facilities:Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport's facilities include a single-storey terminal building, a communications tower and administrative building. Small cafes surround outside the terminal across the parking area.* Terminal...
in Tacloban City
Tacloban City
The City of Tacloban is a port city approximately 360 miles southeast of Manila. It is the first in Eastern Visayas to be classified as a Highly Urbanized City. It is the capital of the Philippine province of Leyte and is the largest city in terms of population in Eastern Visayas...
as these key domestic airports, noting the high growth of passenger and cargo volume there and the eventual need for expansion. Heeding the recommendations of the JICA report, President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
signed a memorandum in November 1998 creating the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, headed by Iloilo-born senator Franklin Drilon
Franklin Drilon
Franklin Magtunao Drilon is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006. Drilon currently serves his third term in the Senate...
. The coordinating committee decided that a new airport was needed for Iloilo City as Mandurriao Airport was deemed unexpandable due to operational obstacles and the presence of slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
s and other natural and civic structures that would restrict expansion efforts. In addition, the committee, objecting to the idea that the new airport would serve merely as a reliever for the new Bacolod airport, successfully lobbied for an international airport to be built in lieu of a domestic one. The project finally received NEDA approval in March 2000, with Cabatuan as the location of the new airport based on a study performed by both the DOTC and the JICA later that year.
Although multiple funding sources were originally considered by the NEDA to fund the airport's construction, it was decided that the project should avail of an official development assistance
Official development assistance
Official development assistance is a term compiled by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to measure aid. The DAC first compiled the term in 1969. It is widely used by academics and journalists as a convenient indicator of...
facility offered by the Japanese government through the then-newly formed Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Japan Bank for International Cooperation
The , also known by its acronym, JBIC, is a Japanese public financial institution and export credit agency, and was created on October 1, 1999, through the merging of the Japan Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund ....
(JBIC). After almost two years of negotiations, and after initially refusing to bankroll the project, the JBIC extended a 6.2 billion peso
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
(US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
152 million) loan to the Philippine government in August 2000.
The Iloilo International Airport project was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
on January 25, 2004, and construction work on the new airport started on April 14 that year. The original expected deadline of completion was June 2007, although this was moved to the first quarter of 2007. A joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between the Taisei Corporation
Taisei Corporation
is a Japanese corporation which was established in 1873. Its main areas of business are building construction, civil engineering, and real estate development....
and the Shimizu Corporation
Shimizu Corporation
is a leading architectural, engineering and general contracting firm, offering an integrated, comprehensive planning, design and build solutions for a broad range of construction and engineering projects worldwide...
of Japan served as the contractor for the project, with Phil-Japan Airport Consultants, Inc. managing the project and serving as the government's consultant to the project. The project was 75 percent complete as of July 14, 2006 and fully complete by March 18, 2007. While construction was completed ahead of schedule, the airport was constructed over budget, with a final cost of around 8.8 billion pesos ($201 million) caused by increases in the cost of civil works and consultancy services.
Name
During construction, the airport was officially called the New Iloilo Airport Development Project, or NIADP. However, as the airport was nearing completion, there were three main contenders for the airport's name: Iloilo International Airport, the original name of the airport which had the support of the Iloilo provincial and city governments; Panay International Airport, proposed by the President and supported by the RDC, which at the time was led by Antique governor Salvacion PerezSalvacion Z. Perez
Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez, popularly known as "Inday Sally" Perez is the Governor of the Philippine province of Antique. She has been governor since 2001. Prior to being elected governor she was Undersecretary of the Presidency for Liaison with the Senate. Governor Sally Perez is a BS Foreign...
; and Graciano Lopez-Jaena International Airport, named after the Iloilo-born Graciano López Jaena
Graciano López Jaena
Graciano López Jaena was a Filipino journalist, orator, and revolutionary from Iloilo, well known for his written work, La Solidaridad....
, proposed by the Dr. Graciano Lopez-Jaena Foundation with the support of the RDC and Antique governor Perez, who is also a member of the foundation, and endorsed by the National Historical Institute.
Out of the three proposals, the name Panay International Airport was dropped due to opposition by the Iloilo city and provincial governments, the mayor of Cabatuan and Justice
Department of Justice (Philippines)
The Department of Justice , abbreviated as DOJ, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines...
Secretary Raul Gonzalez
Raul M. Gonzalez
Raúl Maravilla González, was the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and was the Former Secretary of Justice of the Philippines. He was replaced by Agnes Devanadera in 2009 from the orders of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.-External links:****...
, all citing that it is illogical to rename an airport after an island as large as Panay. Prospects for Graciano Lopez-Jaena International Airport are better, with Iloilo governor Niel Tupas saying that the feasibility of renaming the airport after López Jaena or any other Ilonggo should be studied first.
Local newspaper The News Today
The News Today (Iloilo)
The News Today is an English-language tabloid newspaper circulating in Iloilo City, the Philippines, with its intended audience being the Western Visayas region and with a specific focus on the provinces of Iloilo, Guimaras and Negros Occidental. It was founded in 2000 with Nanette L...
issued an informal survey asking Iloilo City residents what should be the name of the airport and why. Although the survey is non-scientific, a plurality of the nineteen respondents suggested that the name be kept as Iloilo International Airport.
Inauguration and start of operations
Jose Miguel Arroyo
Jose Miguel "Mike" Tuason Arroyo is a former First Gentleman of the Philippines. He is the husband of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former President of the Philippines and the current Congresswoman of Pampanga 2nd District....
, with a new date scheduled for sometime in late April. Some sources indicated that the airport would open on May 10, 2007 during a major TEAM Unity
TEAM Unity
Together Everybody Achieves More Unity was the umbrella coalition of the administration-backed senatorial line-up for the 2007 Philippine Midterm Elections. TEAM Unity is composed mostly of supporters and erstwhile critics of current Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo...
rally in Iloilo City that President Arroyo was expected to attend, although this date was not considered in favor of a date after the 2007 elections
Philippine general election, 2007
Legislative and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 14, 2007. Positions contested included half the seats in the Senate, which are elected for six-year terms, and all the seats in the House of Representatives, who were elected for three-year terms...
, specifically in June, in order to avoid political overtones from dominating the airport's opening. The final date chosen for the airport's inauguration was June 13, 2007, with commercial services commencing the next day. By that time, airlines had already transferred their offices to the new airport.
The airport was formally opened on June 13 with the arrival of the presidential aircraft at the new airport at around 9:50 am PST
Philippine Standard Time
Philippine Standard Time , also known as Philippine Time , is the official name for the time in the Philippines. The country only has one time zone, the UTC+08:00 time zone. The country used the daylight saving time for a short time...
, with Governor Tupas leading provincial and city officials in welcoming the President to the new facility. The inauguration of the new airport also included figures such as Japanese ambassador Ryuchiro Yamazaki and Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza
Leandro Mendoza
Leandro Ramos Mendoza, was the Philippine Executive Secretary, was born on March 24, 1946 in San Juan, Batangas.He finished his Bachelor of Science degree at the Philippine Military Academy; his Master of Arts in Public Management at the University of the Philippines - Visayas, Cebu City; and...
, who assisted the President in leading the inaugural rites. The facility itself was formally commissioned at 5:00 am PST on June 14, coinciding with the simultaneous decommissioning of Mandurriao Airport. The first commercial flight to land at the new airport was Air Philippines
Air Philippines
Air Philippines Corporation, now operating as Airphil Express , is a low-cost airline based in Pasay City, in the Philippines. It operates both domestic and international scheduled services from Manila, Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga. The airline was re-branded for a number of times, first as Air...
Flight 987, a Boeing 737-200
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
that departed from Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA , also known as Manila International Airport , is the airport serving the general area of Manila and its surrounding metropolitan area...
(Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
) and landed at 6:05 am PST the same day.
Operations on the first day of the airport's commercial activity ran smoothly, although a baggage conveyor belt
Conveyor belt
A conveyor belt consists of two or more pulleys, with a continuous loop of material - the conveyor belt - that rotates about them. One or both of the pulleys are powered, moving the belt and the material on the belt forward. The powered pulley is called the drive pulley while the unpowered pulley...
and X-ray machines malfunctioned due to a sudden surge in passengers trying to catch their early morning flights. Some tension marred the airport's first day after baggage porter
Skycap
A skycap is a porter employed by an airport and provides the following service to airline passengers:* Handles luggage* Perform curb side check-in* Works for tips...
s who worked at the old airport insisted on working at the new airport. The ATO, DOTC and the porters have since agreed to a closed-door conference and later on to refer the problem to DOTC Assistant Secretary Red Kapunan, the person in charge of international airports in the Philippines.
Runway
Iloilo International Airport has one primary 2500 metres (8,202.1 ft) runway 45 metres (147.6 ft) wide. The runway runs at a direction of 02°/20°, the same as Mandurriao Airport. Unlike the runway at Mandurriao, the longer runway at Iloilo International Airport can support aircraft as large as the Airbus A330Airbus A330
The Airbus A330 is a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner made by Airbus, a division of EADS. Versions of the A330 have a range of and can accommodate up to 335 passengers in a two-class layout or carry of cargo....
and Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
. Runway lights and an Instrument Landing System
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
were installed, making the airport capable of supporting low-visibility and night landings.
Passenger terminal
The airport has a 13700 square metres (147,465.6 sq ft) main passenger terminalAirport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
designed to accommodate around 1.2 million passengers annually. Believed to be one of the most beautifully-designed airport terminals in the Philippines, its architectural style is said to be reminiscent of Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial...
, albeit on a smaller scale. It is divided into three levels: arrivals and baggage claim on the first floor, check-in on the second floor and departures on the third floor. The pre-departure area at Iloilo International Airport has a capacity of 436 passengers. Three jet bridges protrude from the terminal above a 48000 square metres (516,667.7 sq ft) apron
Airport ramp
The airport ramp or apron is part of an airport. It is usually the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled or boarded. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway...
, enabling Iloilo International Airport to handle up to six aircraft simultaneously. When fully extended, the jet bridges stretch to a length of 35 metres (114.8 ft).
The terminal is equipped with six X-ray machine
X-ray machine
An X-ray generator is a device used to generate X-rays. These devices are commonly used by radiographers to acquire an x-ray image of the inside of an object but they are also used in sterilization or fluorescence....
s, as well as escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s and staircases for departing and arriving passengers' use. There are also two elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s, one for very important person
Very Important Person
A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.Examples include celebrities, heads of state/heads of government, major employers, high rollers, politicians, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other...
s and one for disabled passengers. Two pocket gardens have been installed at the terminal, one each for both the departure and arrival halls. The building features ten modern check-in
Airport check-in
Airport check-in uses service counters found at commercial airports handling commercial air travel. The check-in is normally handled by an airline itself or a handling agent working on behalf of an airline...
counters with LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
monitors. The terminal makes extensive use of natural lighting, designed for energy efficiency. Other amenities available to passengers include a special smoking room, a VIP lounge, a Mabuhay Lounge for Philippine Airlines business class passengers and counters for hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and car rental
Car rental
A car rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee...
bookings, as well as areas for airport stores and payphone
Payphone
A payphone or pay phone is a public telephone, often located in a phone booth or a privacy hood, with pre-payment by inserting money , a credit or debit card, or a telephone card....
s.
Cargo terminal
Iloilo International Airport has a 1281 square metres (13,788.6 sq ft) cargoCargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
terminal, designed to handle up to 11,500 tons of cargo annually. The three-storey building, built in an architectural style similar to that of the main terminal building, has a covered platform, bathrooms, government offices and cargo handling areas, as well as its own parking lot. Airline offices also occupy the structure, secured by means of a perimeter fence with a guard house.
Other structures
Iloilo International Airport has a modern 35 metres (114.8 ft) tall control towerControl tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
equipped with air navigation equipment and radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
systems. A briefing room for pilots is found inside the control tower. Additionally, the airport complex has a fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
equipped with three fire trucks, a maintenance building, a mechanical building and an administrative building. In front of the passenger terminal is a 415-slot parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
for the use of passengers, employees and airport visitors.
The airport has a power back-up system and a power generating station that enables the airport to run in the event of a power outage, returning the supply of electric power to the facility within three seconds. The airport has water treatment facilities and a 6 hectares (14.8 acre) man-made pond used for flood control and drainage purposes as well as for the irrigation of nearby farmland. A waste treatment and sorting facility on the airport grounds converts solid waste into fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
for the use of surrounding farms.
Airlines and destinations
Iloilo International Airport currently services an average of 42 flights daily on three domestic routes. No airline has operated international routes to and from Iloilo, and proposals for the launching of international flights have yet to materialize. At the time of its opening, the ATO believed that international flights out of and to the airport might not begin until 2008, although international passenger flights could commence once Iloilo International Airport meets ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
standards. A study was conducted on the feasibility of the airport serving international flights, and the CAAP recently announced that the airport meets ICAO standards, allowing for international flights to land at the airport.
The DOTC plans to stage international cargo flights out of the airport, as sixty percent of Philippine seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
exports come from Panay. Japan and Hong Kong have been cited as potential first destinations of these cargo flights.
On January 31, 2008, the Iloilo city government announced that Cebu Pacific was considering starting international services from Iloilo, initially with a route to Hong Kong to cater to the large number of Overseas Filipino
Overseas Filipino
An Overseas Filipino is a person of Philippine origin who lives outside of the Philippines. This term applies both to people of Filipino ancestry who are citizens or residents of a different country and to those Filipino citizens abroad on a more temporary status.Most overseas Filipinos migrate to...
s there. Philippine Airlines later announced its intent to serve this route as well, suggesting that Iloilo tourism authorities mount thrice-weekly charter flights to the city using PAL Airbus A320
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft. City government officials also believed that the opening of a Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
office in Iloilo City may bode well for future service to Hong Kong. In addition to Hong Kong flights, the Center for Research and Communication of the University of Asia and the Pacific
University of Asia and the Pacific
The University of Asia and the Pacific is a private research university in the Philippines. It traces its beginnings to the Center for Research and Communication , which was established in 1967 as a private think-tank that conducted economic and social research and offered graduate courses in...
has called for flights from Iloilo City to Japan, South Korea and mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
.
PAL Express
PAL Express
PAL Express was the low-cost regional airline brand of Philippine Airlines. PAL Express operated from Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu City, with smaller operations from PAL's main hub in Manila, flying primarily intra-regional routes in the Visayas and Mindanao, as well as secondary...
, a subsidiary of Philippine Airlines, is considering a direct route from Iloilo to Malay
Malay, Aklan
The Municipality of Malay is a first class municipality in the province of Aklan, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 32,110 people in 4,747 households....
to boost Boracay
Boracay
Boracay is an island of the Philippines located approximately south of Manila and 2 km off the northwest tip of Panay Island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Boracay Island and its beaches have received awards numerous times. Boracay was awarded in the "Travelers' Choice...
-bound tourism traffic. A resolution passed by the Iloilo City Local Development Council (ICLDC) called on PAL president Jaime Bautista to institute direct flights to Malay from Iloilo, with onward service to Cebu City on the return portion from Malay. However, PAL has questioned the route's feasibility, citing congestion at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport
Godofredo P. Ramos Airport
Godofredo P. Ramos Airport , also known as Caticlan Airport, is an airport serving the general area of the town of Malay, located in the province of Aklan in the Philippines...
which serves that municipality.
Road
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
branches from the highway, leading to a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long, 30 metres (98.4 ft) wide access road
Frontage road
A frontage road is a non-limited access road running parallel to a higher-speed road, usually a freeway, and feeding it at appropriate points of access...
which links the airport complex to the highway. The access road is wide enough to be able to accommodate four lanes of traffic. The estimated travel time to the airport from Iloilo City proper is around thirty minutes.
To relieve crowding on the main access road during peak hours, a 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) secondary access road was constructed, connecting the airport to Cabatuan proper. The 124 million-peso ($2.6 million) road is expected to improve connectivity between the airport and both northern Iloilo and southern Capiz
Capiz
Capiz is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Roxas City and is located at the northeastern portion of Panay Island, bordering Aklan and Antique to the west, and Iloilo to the south. Capiz faces the Sibuyan Sea to the north...
, as well as reduce travel times from there to the airport by at least fifteen minutes. The two-lane road opened in July 2010.
Public transportation
Although public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
routes to and from the airport are being studied, no franchises for transport services to the airport have been granted yet by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (Philippines)
The Philippines' Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board , abbreviated as LTFRB, is an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Transportation and Communications responsible for promulgating, administering, enforcing, and monitoring compliance of policies, laws, and...
(LTFRB). Some transport operators, however, are showing interest in starting shuttle services to the airport from Iloilo City, while others have drawn proposals for public transport routes from Iloilo City directly to the airport. A shuttle service is currently available to the airport from Iloilo City, with pick-up and drop-off points at SM City Iloilo
SM City Iloilo
SM City Iloilo is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, owned and operated by SM Prime Holdings. It is the 8th SM Supermall ever built by Henry Sy Sr., the biggest shopping mall in the Western Visayan Region and second to SM City Cebu in the entire Visayas Region. It is located along Sen....
and Jaro Plaza.
Taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
service is available to the airport from Iloilo City proper, with the average fare from Jaro Plaza in downtown Iloilo City costing around 163 pesos ($3.90) as of 2007. However, taxi operators have filed a petition with the LTFRB to increase airport rates by 150 pesos, a move opposed by Governor Tupas as it would make taxi fares to the airport the most expensive out of any route going to an airport in the Philippines, as well as hurt the tourism industry.
Iloilo International Airport is accessible via jeepney
Jeepney
Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating...
to Santa Barbara town proper, after which travelers may take a share taxi
Share taxi
A share taxi is a mode of transport that falls between taxis and conventional buses. These informal vehicles for hire are found throughout the world. They are smaller than buses, and usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, usually leaving when all seats are filled...
to the airport. Travelers may also take jeepneys en route to Cabatuan, Calinog
Calinog, Iloilo
Calinog is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 48,454 people in 9,273 households, and in the 2007 census, the population grew to 51,018.-History:...
or Janiuay
Janiuay, Iloilo
Janiuay is a second-class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the latest census , it has a population of 57,878 people.The municipality is located 33 kilometers north-west of Iloilo City...
, all of which stop at Santa Barbara.
Rail
A train linking Iloilo International Airport to Iloilo City proper, similar to the Airport ExpressAirport Express (MTR)
The Airport Express is one of the lines of the Mass Transit Railway serving Hong Kong. It links the principal urban areas of Hong Kong to Hong Kong International Airport and the associated AsiaWorld-Expo exhibition and convention centre....
in Hong Kong and similar systems in other cities, has been proposed. A study to determine the feasibility of a train service has since been commissioned by the city government. Other proposals to connect the airport to the city via rail include the revival of the currently defunct Panay Railways network which has a station in Santa Barbara town proper.
External links
- IloiloAirport.com -The New Iloilo Airport at Cabatuan, Iloilo