Zamboanga International Airport

The airport started off as Moret Field, an American airfield that was constructed from a rather poor Japanese airfield just north of Zamboanga. Construction was started by Philippine Commonwealth troops just after American forces landed at the present location on March 15, 1945. It was improved by a U.S. Army airfield construction unit using considerable Filipino labor. When completed, the single runway was about 4,500 feet long aligned SW to NE. There were two adjacent taxiways along both sides of the runway with revetment areas. At the peak of operations in 1945, there were about 300 aircraft flying from the airfield. The vast majority were United States Marine Corps aircraft from Marine Aircraft Group 24 which were supporting U.S. Army & Philippine Army infantry operations on Mindanao but also ranging down the Sulu area as far as Borneo.[4]

Subsequent improvements increased its capacity to hold flights. The airport used to service nearby international destinations in the past, such as Labuan and Sandakan in Malaysia via Philippine Airlines and Kota Kinabalu by Malaysia Airlines; these international services were eventually cut. The Philippine Airlines, in particular, cut its services during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when it was struggling to keep afloat.

On December 10, 2004, South Phoenix Airways announced their international flights to Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, but it was eventually cut due to poor load of passengers. Likewise, Asian Spirit commenced service to Sandakan on May 2, 2007, restarting Zamboanga's international operations. The Zamboanga-Sandakan route and other international routes are expected to grow with the signing of a BIMP-EAGA open skies agreement, notably with Indonesia's Sriwijaya Air planning to fly the Zamboanga-Sandakan route.[5]

Zamboanga International Airport, along with all other international airports in the Philippines, was placed under the control of the Manila International Airport Authority under Executive Order No. 341, signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on August 4, 2004. The changes in management were slated to take effect in June 2007,[6]

Due to the US-RP Agreement, the US Air force used the airport while the Balikatan exercises were held in the city.[7] The biggest aircraft to land in Zamboanga International Airport is the Russian Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan made to deliver pickup trucks for the American training mission here in Zamboanga. North American Airlines Boeing 757-200s were chartered to transport American soldiers from Guam to Zamboanga. Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs flying from Okinawa come to Zamboanga every now and then. Gemini Air Cargo's DC-10 was once in Zamboanga Airport for delivery of the materials needed for the US Air Force training.

There were plans to transfer the airport to a 104-hectare lot located between Barangays Talabaan and Taluksangay, possibly making it the largest airport in Mindanao and about 12.75 km (7.92 mi) from Zamboanga City. The plan was suspended due to lack of funding.[8] However, it was supported by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the purpose of converting the current property to a business district.[9] In September 2014, Rehabilitation of the dilapidated 1,800 m (5,900 ft) portion of the runway of the airport will be carried.[10][11]

Currently, the proposed plan of transferring the present airport in Barangay Sta Maria and Barangay San Roque has finally pushed through with the proposed of the new Zamboanga International Airport somewhere in Barangay Mercedes, Barangay Taluksangay and Barangay Talabaan which is now ongoing as reported.

The national government through the DOTC, allotted 15 million pesos for the feasibility study of the project. In November 2008, Asian Development Bank (ADB) consultants as well as engineers from Davao City conducted ocular inspection at the new airport site.[12]

The development of the new airport for Zamboanga will involve approximately 175 hectares of land acquisition, including the areas for PALS and SALS, glide slope, future runway extension and parallel taxiway and 30-meter road right of way for the access road and diversion of existing barangay road.

The project components will include:

• Construction of New Terminal that will accommodate more passengers.
• Construction of 6 Jet bridges on the proposed New Terminal.
• Construction of new 3,440 metre long runway, to accommodate more and bigger planes.
• Construction of new taxiways and aprons.
• Construction of a new Modern Control Tower.

Once it is completed, the new international airport will have the following facilities:

• 6 Jet Bridges.
• 3,440 meter runway.
• Accommodations for up to 8 Million passengers per year.

December 21, 2007 - The Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has allotted some P257 million (US$5.2 million) for the improvement of Zamboanga Airport in Zamboanga City.[12]

Earlier, a consortium of international and local investors, offered to construct a modern airport in the city under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme. The proposal was given to the Air Transportation Office (ATO) by the consortium of investors from Germany, France, Japan, Guam and the Philippines. At least 16 international airlines are expected to fly between the city and its neighboring countries per Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) approval.

October 28, 2008 - Zamboanga International Airport Authority has finalised that observers and engineers are going to have an ocular inspection on the area's plan, to see the cost of the project and other prospect details. It says that everything will start this coming month (November) reporter said.[13][14]

March 6, 2009 - Released the feasibility study of Zamboanga International Airport Development Project by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

Oct-2020 - Mindanao Development Authority assistant secretary Romeo Montenegro reported construction of New Zamboanga International Airport in Zamboanga City would cost government around PHP13.9 billion (USD286.5 million). He said that around PHP200 million (USD4.1 million) has already been allocated to Zamboanga City's government for the acquisition of land for the airport site, but actual construction has yet to commence. The project will feature a new terminal, six jet bridges, a control tower and will have a 3440m runway to accommodate heavier aircraft. Construction is expected to commence in 2021.

Since March 17, 2020, all flights have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to which, this list is no longer current and destinations are subject to change without prior notice.[15][16][17]

All data provided are according to its source.[1]

Operational Statistics

Year	Passenger movements	Aircraft movements	Cargo Volume (in kg)
2001	270,138	8,204	5,871,863
2002	295,611	5,557	6,209,752
2003	309,331	3,505	7,591,923
2004	353,051	3,509	7,561,297
2005	360,925	3,281	5,821,416
2006	396,182	2,739	5,009,257
2007	485,218	2,879	5,928,742
2008	469,540	3,305	6,060,161
2009	582,917	3,712	7,690,309
2010	623,639	3,805	8,965,227
2011	804,052	7,145	9,470,350
2012	904,668	17,290	10,801,926
2013	796,530	18,142	10,357,858
2014	901,041	17,522	12,676,538
2015	911,329	13,410	11,861,720
2016	980,476	9,362	12,334,832
2017	1,076,372	10,550	13,285,274
2018	1,214,078	11,870	13,618,163
2019	1,202,407	11,947	14,509,517

source: CAAP [19]

• On May 21, 1976, Philippine Air Lines flight 116 (en route between Davao City and Manila) was hijacked by six terrorists. The aircraft was forced to land at Zamboanga. On May 23, security forces tried to storm the plane and a gun battle broke out, during which some grenades were set off by the hijackers. Ten passengers and three hijackers were killed. The remaining 3 hijackers were caught and sentenced to death.[20]
• On March 2, 1987, Philippine Airlines flight PR171 from Davao damaged its engine when its landing was aborted by a herd of cows which strayed on the runway. The plane had slowed down its engine when the pilot saw the cows on the runway. The plane flew past the cows and landed safely on its second approach. All the 94 passengers of the plane were safe.
• On May 3, 2006, Cebu Pacific flight 5J393, a Douglas DC-9 from Davao, was on final approach on Runway 27 at 9:15 am. After touchdown, the left main gear of the aircraft burst. All 100 passengers were safe, but the aircraft was stuck on the runway. Because of this, the airport was closed for 23 hours. Air Philippines flights to Zamboanga were canceled, as well as all Philippine Airlines afternoon flights to and from Zamboanga and Cebu Pacific flights to Manila. A South East Asian Airlines flight from Jolo that was about to land in Zamboanga was ordered to go back due to the incident. The Cebu Pacific Zamboanga station advised their Manila hub about the problem, sending two new landing gears to Zamboanga. However, since the aircraft was stuck on the runway, the plane that was going to deliver the planes gear landed at Pagadian Airport and helicopters of the Philippine Air Force delivered the landing gears to the airport. The next day, the aircraft was removed from the runway and normal airport operations resumed. Due to the incident, Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines were forced to hold special flights.
• On December 28, 2006, a Philippine Air Force assault helicopter crashed during an emergency landing Thursday on the airport's runway. The pilots of the rocket-firing MG520 helicopter, which is used against al-Qaeda-linked militants and communist guerrillas, were on a routine maintenance flight when they decided to make an emergency landing for unclear reasons. The MG530 was damaged and its two pilots were slightly injured and shaken by the crash landing.
• On August 5, 2010, a bombing incident occurred upon the arrival of Sulu Governor Abdulsakur Tan, who was the main target of the terrorists, from Manila at 6:00pm. The incident killed two people and several were hurt, including Tan. This incident prompted Representative Bong Climaco to make a proposal to relocate the airport to its new site that will cost PhP 9 billion.
• On March 9, 2011, Philippine Airlines flight PR124 bound for Manila scheduled to depart at 6:55am was turning slowly for take off when its left wheel fell off the concrete runway and got stuck in a puddle of mud. All 132 passengers safely disembarked from the aircraft and returned to the pre-departure area.

• List of airports in the Philippines
• Francisco Bangoy International Airport
• Edwin Andrews Air Base

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Unofficial website of Zamboanga International Airport
• Zamboanga International Airport Information
• Airport information for RPMZ at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for ZAM / RPMZ at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
• Current weather for RPMZ at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for ZAM / RPMZ at Aviation Safety Network