Francisco B. Reyes Airport

Francisco B. Reyes Airport (Filipino: Paliparan ng Francisco B. Reyes; IATA: USU, ICAO: RPVV), more commonly known as Busuanga Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Coron, located in Busuanga Island in the province of Palawan, Philippines.[2] It is also shared with the neighboring municipality of Busuanga, located on the western half of the island. Since November 10, 2008, the airport has been named after Francisco B. Reyes, the mayor of Coron from 1936 to 1939 who donated the land that forms the current airport complex.[3]

Francisco B. Reyes Airport

Paliparan ng Francisco B. Reyes
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
ServesCoron, Palawan
Elevation AMSL45 m / 148 ft
Coordinates12°07′17″N 120°06′00″E
Map
USU/RPVV is located in Philippines
USU/RPVV
USU/RPVV
Location in the Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 1,225 4,019 Concrete
Statistics (2021)
Passengers42,255
Aircraft movements2,262
Cargo (in kgs)1,770,993
Source: CAAP[1]

The airport is classified as a Class 2 principal (minor domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation that is responsible for the operations all airports in the Philippines except the major international airports.[2]

The airport is surrounded by a protected ranch used to raise cows. The grass growing on the property is imported from Australia.

History and expansion

Francisco B. Reyes Airport is the target of two expansion projects. The first expansion, funded in part by a US$3 million loan from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in cooperation with the Department of Transportation and Communications, broke ground in March 2007.[4] The expansion, which included the construction of a new terminal building, the completion of the airport's then-unfinished concrete runway and the upgrading of other facilities, was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on November 17, 2008.[5]

The airport terminal was severely damaged by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013. Rehabilitation work was commenced by the municipality of Coron immediately after the typhoon to enable the airport to continue receiving passengers,[6] and was completed by October 2014.[7] Traffic to and from Coron was negatively affected by the airport's closure, with tourist arrivals falling by up to 75%.[8]

A ₱4.1 billion second expansion is also planned for the airport, funded entirely by the national government, with the aim of making it capable of supporting both jet and nighttime operations.[9][6]

Airlines and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
AirSWIFT El Nido, Manila
Cebgo Cebu, Manila
PAL Express Cebu, Clark,[10] Manila[11]
SkyJet Airlines Manila
Sunlight Air Charter: Clark, Manila[12]

See also

References
  1. "Aircraft, Passenger, and Cargo Movements". Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  2. "Handy Busuanga airport information from Skyscanner". www.skyscanner.com.ph. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  3. Republic of the Philippines. (Enacted: November 10, 2008). Proclamation No. 1665, s. 2008 - RENAMING BUSUANGA AIRPORT TO FRANCISCO B. REYES AIRPORT LOCATED AT THE MUNICIPALITY OF CORON, PROVINCE OF PALAWAN. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  4. Quismundo, Tarra (March 18, 2007). "Airport upgrade seen making Coron the next tourism gateway". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  5. "Arroyo to inaugurate upgraded Busuanga airport Monday". GMA News. GMA Network. November 16, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  6. Formoso, Celeste Anna R. (January 31, 2014). "TIEZA appropriates funds for expansion of Busuanga Airport in northern Palawan". Philippines News Agency. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  7. Bayos, Kris (November 9, 2014). "Gov't eyes new airport for Leyte". Manila Bulletin. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  8. Cayon, Manuel (June 11, 2015). "More passengers use Busuanga airport". BusinessMirror. Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc. Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  9. "PH gov't gives go-ahead to P62B worth of infrastructure projects". PortCalls Asia. ProQuest Publishing, Inc. June 4, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  10. Rosales, Elijah Felice (February 24, 2023). "PAL resumes Clark trips to Boracay, Coron". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  11. Liu, Jim. "Philippine Airlines Clark / Manila domestic network changes from March 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  12. "Sunlight Air launches Manila-Cebu cargo flights, to launch Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro soon". www.aviationupdatesph.com. June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
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