Mati Airport

Mati Airport (Cebuano: Tugpahanan sa Mati; Filipino: Paliparan ng Mati; IATA: MXI, ICAO: RPMQ), formerly Imelda R. Marcos Airport,[1] is an airport that serves the general area of Mati, the capital city of the province of Davao Oriental in the Philippines. It is the only airport in Davao Oriental.

Mati Airport

Tugpahanan sa Mati
Paliparan ng Mati
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCivil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
OperatorDavao International Airport Authority
ServesMati
LocationDahican, Mati, Davao Oriental
Elevation AMSL48 m / 157 ft
Coordinates06°57′01″N 126°16′21″E
Map
MXI is located in Philippines
MXI
MXI
Location of airport in Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
14/32 1,628 5,341 Asphalt

The airport is classified as a secondary airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) that is responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except the major international airports. There are no commercial flights serving Mati. The airport only accommodates chartered flights and light planes.

History

The airport was built in the 1980s under the administration of former Davao Oriental governor Francisco Rabat as a gift to the province by former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and was named after his wife Imelda Marcos. It was built on a 174,040-square-meter (1,873,400 sq ft) property owned by the Rabat and Rocamora families.[1] Since there is no deeds of donation executed to transfer the associated properties from the two families to the government, the airport could not be used for commercial flights.[2] It was later renamed as the Mati Airport.[3] Around the 2010s, the airport is used by the Mindanao Saga Flying Club to provide aerial views of Mati to tourists.[2][4]

There were efforts to revive the airport in the late 2010s.[2][5] By 2019, the DOTr had allocated ₱200 million for the airport development. which include rehabilitation and construction of the runway, fencing, and upgrading of passenger terminal.[6] Renovations were planned to commence in 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

References
  1. "Davao Oriental gov't pushes for Mati City airport expansion". Inquirer. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  2. Perez, Ace June (16 August 2017). "Land ownership of Mati airport for transfer". Sunstar. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  3. "What's in an eponym? Celebrity airports - could there be a commercial benefit in naming?". Centre for Aviation. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  4. Santos, Kara (7 May 2018). "The search for the next Boracay: Mati, Davao Oriental". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  5. "Gov Dayanghirang unveils major infra program in Davao Oriental". Politiko. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. Francisco, Carmelito (7 July 2019). "P200M DoT fund ready for Mati Airport rehabilitation". BusinessWorld Online. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  7. Llemitt, Ralph Lawrence; Perez, Ace June (27 June 2020). "Covid-19 delays Mati City airport revival, expansion". Sunstar. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
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