Francisco Bangoy International Airport

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 1,200-meter (3,900 ft) 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.[2]

Old airport terminal

The Davao (Sasa) Airport was opened for civil aviation on August 25, 1958.[3] It initially consisted of a new 1,500-meter (4,900 ft) long by 30-meter (98 ft) wide concrete runway and a 200-meter (660 ft) long by 60-meter (200 ft) wide apron. The grass airstrip was later converted as a taxiway for general aviation.[4]

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.[5] 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 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) and 36 meters (118 ft), respectively, while the apron was widened to 100 meters (330 ft). Five years later, the runway was further extended and widened to 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) and to the current 45 meters (148 ft), respectively.[4]

A new terminal designed by Filipino architect Leandro Locsin, with a capacity of one million passengers, started construction in 1976 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.[2] 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.[4] After the launch of scheduled international flights to Davao, regular flights to Malaysia and Singapore were also commenced by Malaysia Airlines in 1996 and SilkAir in 1997, respectively.[6][7]

Rapid growth at the airport precipitated the construction of a ₱15 million interim international terminal beside the airport's then-existing terminal,[2] 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).[2] 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 US$40 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 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) in 2001 to accommodate future international flights.[8]

On November 12, 2007, Cebu Pacific announced the airport as its third hub.[9] Likewise, Philippine Airlines announced the airport as its third hub on March 26, 2018.[10]

In June 2015, the Mindanao Development Authority plans to turn the 1980–2003 airport terminal into a trade and cultural museum.[11]

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.[12]

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 65,000 square meters (700,000 sq ft). It is fully computerized, more secure and has more commercial spaces for concessionaires at approximately 9,000 square meters (97,000 sq ft) 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.[8]

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 5,580 square meters (60,100 sq ft) and can handle up to 84,600 tonnes (83,300 long tons; 93,300 short tons) of cargo annually.[8]

Runway

The airport has a single 3,000-meter (9,800 ft) long by 45-meter (148 ft) 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.[15]

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.

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 3-megawatt (4,000 hp) standby power generator.