Subic Bay International Airport
Subic Bay International Airport Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Look ng Subic | |||||||||||
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AMSL 20 m / 64 ft | | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 14°47′39″N 120°16′15″E / 14.79417°N 120.27083°E | ||||||||||
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Runways | |||||||||||
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Subic Bay International Airport (
The airport was known as the
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2022) |
In 1950, Admiral
The U.S. Navy then turned to the
The $100 million-facility (equivalent to $859 million in 2023) was commissioned on 25 July 1956, and comprised an air station with an adjacent pier capable of docking the Navy's largest carriers. After decades of use by American forces, Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, burying Cubi Point in 18–36 inches (45–90 cm) of ash. Despite this, the American government wished to keep the Subic Naval Base and signed a treaty with the Philippine government.
The treaty was not ratified, however, failing by a slim margin in the
Initially some 8,000 volunteers guarded the facility and prevented looters from damaging the facilities. The
Twenty days after the departure of American forces, the airport ushered in its first
Construction of the present runway by Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines began in 1993 and was completed in April 1995, in time for the inaugural landing of FedEx Express MD-11 and the formal opening of FedEx's AsiaOne hub. The newly renamed Subic Bay International Airport was formally opened on 30 September 1996.[3] The new US$12.6-million passenger terminal, with a capacity to handle 6 million passengers per year, and built by Summa Kumagai Inc. (a joint Filipino-Japanese venture) was inaugurated on 4 November 1996, in time for the 4th APEC Leaders' Summit.[4]
Between 1992 and 1995 SBIA welcomed a total of around 100,000 commercial passengers.[3] The airport was expected to handle 110,000 passengers in 1996.[3] In 1997, SBIA topped the 100,000 annual passenger count. For the year 1998, the airport handled a total of around 1,000 international and 6,000 domestic flights, and almost 100,000 inbound and outbound passengers.[5] By 2007 the number of recorded passengers had dropped to 17,648, but due to the presence of the FedEx AsiaOne Hub the airport still handled 115,108 flights.[6]
The FedEx hub lasted until February 2009, when all operations were moved to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China. Due to this departure, as well as the planned expansion of nearby Clark International Airport, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator and CEO Armand C. Arreza expressed interest in closing Subic Bay International Airport in favor of converting the area to a logistics hub in January 2010.[7]
In December 2010, Guam-based Aviation Concepts Inc. set up fixed-base operations[8] at the airport, refurbishing a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) hangar to international standards, with the aim of eventually establishing a full-service aviation center.
In 2016, the airport began to once again be used for daily commercial passenger flights, with
In 2018, Razon Group acquired Aviation Concepts Technical Services, Inc. (ACTSI) and signed a 25-year lease agreement (as well as a 25-year option) with the local government that will see the airport transformed into a regional business aviation hub, with a fifty plus years potential. The company is refurbishing its 1.8-acre (7,300 m2) facility and targeting to its premiere upgrade in the third quarter of 2019.[10]
In July 2021, the airport was used again for repatriation flights of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) which were facilitated by Philippine Airlines. The activity led to the revival of a commercial flight schedule for the first time since 2011 despite the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][12] Repatriation flights to the airport ended on 22 February 2022 after capacity restrictions at Ninoy Aquino International Airport were eased.[13]
Subic Bay Airfield
The restoration of
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
Air Juan | Manila–CCP Complex[9] |
Cargo airlines
Flight training
![]() | This section is in prose. is available. (October 2022) |
- ACE Pilots Aviation Academy
- Aero Equipment Aviation Inc.
- Alpha Aviation Group
- APG International Aviation Academy
- Asian Institute Of Aviation
- First Aviation Academy Inc.
- Laminar Aviation, Inc.
- OMNI Aviation Corporation
The airport is also a base of a flight school Aeroflite Aviation Corp since 2006.
Events
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2022) |
Subic Bay International Airport hosted a number of wide-bodied aircraft during the seventh
Incidents and accidents
On October 18, 1999, FedEx Express Flight 87, a
References
- ^ Congress of the Philippines (13 March 1992). "Republic Act No. 7227 - The Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Milestones in the History of PAL". Archived from the original on 22 February 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ a b c Bangsberg, P.T. (25 August 1996). "Subic Bay launching gateway". The Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ Agence France Presse (4 November 1996). "Fidel Ramos defends APEC security preparations in RP". Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ Urban Land Institute (1999). "ULI Development Case Studies: Subic Bay Freeport" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Philippine Yearbook, 2011 - Chapter 19: Transportation" (PDF). Philippine Statistics Authority. 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ Cahiles-Magkilat, Bernie (26 January 2010). "SBMA mulls Subic airport as logistics hub". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ Empeño, Henry (9 February 2011). "Aviation firm Subic airport's new tenant". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ a b Arnaldo, Ma. Stella F. (10 November 2016). "Air Juan boosts local tourism businesses via island linkages". Business Mirror. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Davis, Alud. "ACTSI wants to maintain your aircraft in the Philippines". Corporate Jet Investor. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ "Plane with OFWs is first commercial flight to land in Subic airport in 10 years". Rappler. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
- ^ "PAL brings home 299 OFWs at Subic airport". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
- ^ Empeño, Henry (February 23, 2022). "Philippine Airlines ends special flights in Subic". BusinessMirror. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ Lariosa, Aaron-Matthew (June 11, 2024). "Philippines To Restore Subic Bay Airfield For South China Sea Ops". navalnews.com. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Bayarong, John (5 February 2009). "Fedex closing hub operations in Subic on Friday". GMA News Online. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 3 April 2007. p. 69.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident description McDonnell Douglas MD-11F N581FE - Subic Bay International Airport (SFS)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
External links
Media related to Subic Bay International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
- SBMA official website: Subic Bay International Airport