Francisco Bangoy International Airport

Francisco Bangoy International Airport Template:Airport codes, also known as Davao International Airport, is the main airport serving Davao City and Davao Region in the Philippines. Serving as the main gateway to Mindanao, it is the busiest airport on the island and the third busiest in the Philippines in 2022.

History

Early history

The site of the airport began operations in the 1940s as Sasa Landing Field with a donation of land in barangay Sasa, located in Buhangin district of Davao City, by Don Francisco Bangoy, the then-current patriarch of an influential family that founded and settled in Davao alongside Don Jose Uyanguren. At the time it began operation, the airport merely consisted of a Template:Convert unpaved grass runway and quonset huts serving as terminal buildings. At the time, and throughout much of the 1940s and the early 1950s, both Philippine Air Lines and the Philippine Air Force provided air service to the city.<ref name="earlyhistory">Template:Cite news</ref>

As a civil aviation airport

File:Old Davao City airport.jpg

Old airport terminal

The Davao (Sasa) Airport was opened for civil aviation on August 25, 1958.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It initially consisted of a new Template:Convert long by Template:Convert wide concrete runway and a Template:Convert long by Template:Convert wide apron. The grass airstrip was later converted as a taxiway for general aviation.<ref name="JICA1992">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

By 1959, the complex consisted of a small control tower and several low-rise buildings. On June 19, 1960, Republic Act No. 2762 was enacted which renamed the airport to Francisco Bangoy Airport in honor of the late Don Francisco Bangoy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Right of way and access to the terminal buildings and the airport were improved through further donation of land by Paciano Bangoy, Francisco's son, during the latter stages of Paciano's gubernatorial term. In 1970, the runway was extended and widened to Template:Convert and Template:Convert, respectively, while the apron was widened to Template:Convert. Five years later, the runway was further extended and widened to Template:Convert and to the current Template:Convert, respectively.<ref name="JICA1992"/>

Construction for a new terminal designed by Filipino architect Leandro Locsin began in 1976. It was designed to handle a million passengers annually and was completed in 1980. The project, in addition to runway expansions, was funded during the term of then-Congressman Manuel Garcia, whose congressional district covers the airport perimeter.<ref name="earlyhistory"/> Airbus A300 operations by Philippine Airlines started on September 1, 1989, marking the first widebody service to the city. The first scheduled international passenger service started on April 29, 1992, with the inauguration of Bouraq Airlines flights to Manado, Indonesia.<ref name="JICA1992"/> After the launch of scheduled international flights to Davao, regular flights to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Singapore were also commenced by Malaysia Airlines in 1996 and SilkAir in 1997, respectively.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Expansion

Rapid growth at the airport precipitated the construction of a Template:Philippine peso million interim international terminal beside the airport's then-existing terminal,<ref name="earlyhistory" /> and then eventually a new, larger terminal building that would consolidate the two existing terminals. In planning since 1992, construction began in 2000 and was subsequently inaugurated on December 2, 2003, with a capacity double that of the old airport terminal. The construction of the new ₱2.7 billion building was funded by both the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).<ref name="earlyhistory" /> The modernization and upgrading of the airport facilities aim to make Davao as a hub for tourism and foreign investment in the region. Development was funded by a Template:USD million loan from the ADB, co-financed by the EIB for twenty-five million ECUs, and through budgetary allocations from the government. The total cost of the project amounted to US$128 million.

As part of the modernization of the airport, the runway was once again extended to the current Template:Convert in 2001 to accommodate future international flights.<ref name="DVO2000">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Contemporary history

On November 12, 2007, Cebu Pacific announced the airport as its third hub.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Likewise, Philippine Airlines announced the airport as its third hub on March 26, 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2015, the Mindanao Development Authority announced its plans to turn the 1980–2003 airport terminal into a trade and cultural museum.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Republic Act No. 11457, also known as the Charter of the Davao International Airport Authority, was approved on August 30, 2019, creating and establishing the Davao International Airport Authority, which will manage all airports in the Davao Region, including the Francisco Bangoy International Airport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Future developments

A night shot of the Davao airport ramp during rush hour

The airport was slated for upgrading in 2016, but the project was shelved.<ref name="expand1">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2017, an expansion project of the airport was announced.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Udenna Corporation submitted an unsolicited proposal in 2018 and received the original proponent status by the Department of Transportation in that year.<ref name="expand1" /> The initial expansion and upgrading project aimed to include the expansion of the existing passenger terminal building, landside and airside developments, construction of a parallel taxiway, and the introduction of new technologies.<ref name="expand1" />

However, as of 2025, the Francisco Bangoy International Airport Project is now moving forward under a new public-private partnership (PPP) initiative led by the Davao International Airport Consortium.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) is currently evaluating a ₱12.9 billion proposal to upgrade, expand, operate, and maintain the airport under a Rehabilitate-Operate-Transfer (ROT) model.

The new expansion plan involves two key phases. Phase 1 includes the expansion and renovation of the passenger terminal building, upgrades to the existing cargo terminal, the construction of a fire station, the apron and parking lot expansion, the installation of a parallel taxiway, and the expansion of passenger access roads; while Phase 2 includes the further passenger terminal building expansion, the construction of a new cargo terminal, the additional apron and parking lot expansion, and the enhancement of ground support equipment (GSE) roads. As of January 27, 2025, the Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA) informed the proponent that it will proceed with the detailed evaluation of the proposal.<ref name=":0" /> The PPP Center endorsed the project to the DIAA on January 16, 2025, after determining its completeness under Section 10 of the PPP Code.

Structure

Terminal

File:Davao International Airport front (Sasa, Davao City; 04-22-2024).jpg

Front side of the terminal building

The current passenger terminal is a Malay architecture-inspired building which is four times larger than the old terminal. It is a two-level terminal building with an area of approximately Template:Convert. It is fully computerized, more secure and has more commercial spaces for concessionaires at approximately Template:Convert of gross leasable area. It has four (4) jetbridges for passenger boarding. It has a Flight Information Display System and closed-circuit television system complementing the terminal's security system. It is designed to handle approximately 4 million passengers annually. The added capacity is complemented by the latest navigational, security, and baggage handling equipment.<ref name="DVO2000"/>

The terminal has 14 domestic and 14 international check-in counters that can handle a steady flow of passenger traffic. The check-in counters are equipped with electronic weighing scales and conveyors and its baggage handling system is also computerized. It has two arrival areas, for domestic and international flights, with two baggage conveyors each. The cargo terminal building covers almost Template:Convert and can handle up to Template:Convert of cargo annually.<ref name="DVO2000"/>

Runway

Runway

The airport has a single Template:Convert long by Template:Convert wide runway that can handle basically all passenger wide-bodied aircraft, including the Airbus A380. Complementing the runway are two (2) turning pads at each end of it, which help aircraft make a backtrack. The installation of a new instrument landing system (ILS) for both Runways 05 and 23 upgraded its compliance to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) operating category-Precision Approach Category 1. It can accommodate 8 to 10 aircraft landings per hour, depending on size and has the equivalent 9 gate holding areas for those aircraft. The airport has two dual access taxiways. Taxiways A3 and A4 are used to access the new ramp and terminal; taxiways B and C are used for access to the old airport ramp.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Antonov An-124 is, by far, the largest aircraft to land at the airport. It is the fourth largest aircraft in the world, next to the Boeing 747-8.

Other structures

Besides the main terminal building, there are also new support facilities like the administration building, airfield maintenance building, central plant building, hangar for military and training aircraft, and an ARFF building. It has an 800-slot car parking area and four slots for shuttle buses. It has a Template:Convert standby power generator.

Airlines and destinations

Cargo

Destination maps
Template:Location map+
Template:Location map+

Statistics

Data from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).<ref name="caapfoi2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Airport-Statistics

Year	Passenger movements				Aircraft movements				Cargo movements (in kg)
	Domestic	International	Total	% change	Domestic	International	Total	% change	Domestic	International	Total	% change
2001	937,751	13,306	951,057	Template:Steady	12,730	468	13,198	Template:Steady	39,406,667	6,844,067	46,250,734	Template:Steady
2002	961,990	14,441	976,431	Template:Increase 2.67	11,422	460	11,882	Template:Decrease 9.97	44,380,469	3,519	44,383,988	Template:Decrease 4.04
2003	742,436	13,185	755,621	Template:Decrease 22.61	8,968	480	9,448	Template:Decrease 20.48	30,779,223	1,654	30,780,877	Template:Decrease 30.65
2004	1,128,653	22,573	1,151,226	Template:Increase 52.35	11,366	634	12,000	Template:Increase 27.01	41,972,437	—	41,972,437	Template:Increase 36.36
2005	1,322,064	24,971	1,347,035	Template:Increase 17.01	11,968	718	12,686	Template:Increase 5.72	70,372,167	—	70,372,167	Template:Increase 67.66
2006	1,307,635	34,179	1,341,814	Template:Decrease 0.39	12,920	1,034	13,954	Template:Increase 10.00	40,753,487	—	40,753,487	Template:Decrease 42.09
2007	1,502,600	52,622	1,555,222	Template:Increase 15.90	13,778	1,126	14,904	Template:Increase 6.81	45,516,843	15,455	45,532,298	Template:Increase 11.73
2008	1,646,347	46,530	1,692,877	Template:Increase 8.85	15,414	780	16,194	Template:Increase 8.66	53,287,642	14,931	53,302,573	Template:Increase 17.0
2009	1,935,454	32,496	1,967,950	Template:Increase 16.25	9,316	283	9,599	Template:Decrease 40.72	34,172,210	84,429	34,256,639	Template:Decrease 35.73
2010	2,207,684	21,493	2,229,177	Template:Increase 13.27	9,692	219	9,911	Template:Increase 3.25	40,568,631	63,195	40,631,826	Template:Increase 18.61
2011	2,364,972	25,167	2,390,139	Template:Increase 7.22	10,238	239	10,477	Template:Increase 5.71	34,772,206	51,771	34,823,977	Template:Decrease 14.29
2012	2,923,327	39,916	2,963,243	Template:Increase 23.98	25,460	634	26,094	Template:Increase 149.06	42,118,391	67,392	42,185,783	Template:Increase 21.14
2013	2,773,691	33,538	2,807,229	Template:Decrease 5.26	29,104	536	29,640	Template:Increase 13.59	49,757,177	71,841	49,829,018	Template:Increase 18.12
2014	3,408,487	43,992	3,452,479	Template:Increase 22.99	22,822	694	23,516	Template:Decrease 20.66	53,714,155	76,347	53,790,502	Template:Increase 7.95
2015	4,099,131	50,974	4,150,105	Template:Increase 20.21	26,058	758	26,816	Template:Increase 14.03	59,737,244	77,062	59,814,306	Template:Increase 11.20
2016	3,462,119	91,082	3,553,201	Template:Decrease 14.38	32,571	1,186	33,757	Template:Increase 25.88	53,590,101	68,400	53,658,501	Template:Decrease 10.29
2017	4,140,757	93,910	4,234,667	Template:Increase 19.18	36,094	2,399	38,493	Template:Increase 14.03	57,594,657	159,342	57,753,999	Template:Increase 7.63
2018	4,288,408	147,149	4,435,557	Template:Increase 4.74	42,740	1,595	44,335	Template:Increase 15.18	78,824,575	145,262	78,969,837	Template:Increase 36.73
2019	4,303,903	186,183	4,490,086	Template:Increase 1.23	42,281	1,759	44,040	Template:Decrease 0.67	66,767,439	181,762	66,949,201	Template:Decrease 15.22
2020	955,824	33,265	989,089	Template:Decrease 77.97	16,329	370	16,699	Template:Decrease 62.08	33,881,735	44,385	33,926,120	Template:Decrease 49.33
2021	561,889	12,015	573,904	Template:Decrease 41.98	6,177	123	6,300	Template:Decrease 62.27	30,089,418	470,035	30,559,453	Template:Decrease 9.92
2022	2,689,261	80,285	2,769,546	Template:Increase 382.58	18,137	1,044	19,181	Template:Increase 204.46	35,166,751	934,141	36,100,892	Template:Increase 18.13
2023	3,714,825	130,070	3,844,895	Template:Increase 38.82	23,675	1,318	24,993	Template:Increase 30.30	44,989,027	205,746	45,194,773	Template:Increase 25.19

An em dash (—) is used when data from CAAP is not available.

Access and transportation

The Davao River Bridge, part of the Carlos P. Garcia National Highway

The airport is connected to the city via the Carlos P. Garcia National Highway. The four-laned La Verna-Mamay Bypass Road was constructed and finished in 2017 near the airport to decongest traffic going from Mamay road to the airport and beyond and vice versa, by avoiding the usually busy intersection of Mamay Road and the Carlos P. Garcia National Highway. To avoid widening a road, which would displace houses and creep onto the airport's site, the road splits into two for 600 meters then merges back. It has a length of 1.7 kilometers, and is able to accommodate 1,000 vehicles per day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The planned Davao City Expressway will further connect the airport to the city via a diamond interchange. If it goes according to plan, the entire project will be completed in 2026.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Accidents and incidents

• On April 19, 2000, Air Philippines Flight 541, a Boeing 737-200 en route from Manila to Davao crashed near the airport, killing 131 people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• On March 4, 2003, a bomb exploded in the waiting shed outside the old terminal building, killing 21 people. At least 145 others were injured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• On the night of August 25, 2008, a Philippine Air Force Lockheed L-100 Hercules bound for Iloilo City crashed into Davao Gulf shortly after takeoff. The aircraft sank 800 feet into the gulf. The incident killed nine crew members plus two Philippine Army soldiers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> After several days of a search-and-retrieval operation, the wreckage was found with the help of a US Navy ship, the USNS John McDonnell.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• On June 2, 2013, Cebu Pacific Flight 971, an Airbus A320 carrying 165 passengers inbound from Manila, overshot the runway during a heavy rain. There were no fatalities, but the plane was heavily damaged.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• List of airports in the Philippines
• Tallest buildings in Davao City

External links

• AECOM
• What's On & Expat Magazine, June 18, 2006 – Upgraded Davao City International Airport Is Ready for More Passengers and Bigger Aircraft
• Template:NWS-current
• Template:GCM
• Template:ASN