Labo Airport

Labo Airport (Cebuano: Tugpahanan sa Labo, Filipino: Paliparan ng Labo; IATA: OZC, ICAO: RPMO), also known as Ozamiz Airport, is an airport serving the general area of the city of Ozamiz in the Philippines. It is the only airport in the province of Misamis Occidental. The airport is classified as a community airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation 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. It is one of only two community airports in the Philippines with commercial operations, but one of the busiest in Mindanao in terms of aircraft movement and passenger traffic.

Labo Airport

Tugpahanan sa Labo
Paliparan ng Labo
Exterior of Labo Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorCivil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
ServesMisamis Occidental
LocationBarangay Labo, Ozamiz, Misamis Occidental, Philippines
Elevation AMSL5 m / 16 ft
Coordinates08°10′42.69″N 123°50′28.99″E
Map
OZC is located in Philippines
OZC
OZC
Location of airport in Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
03/21 1,745 5,725 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passengers294,661
Aircraft movements2,756
Kilograms of cargo5,308,308
Source: Statistics from eFOI[1]

The airport takes its name from its location, Barangay Labo in Ozamiz City.

Ozamiz Airport also serves the cities of Oroquieta and Tangub, some municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Norte and some parts of Lanao del Sur.

History

Misamis Airfield(now Ozamiz Airport) with the persons involved in the airport. circa 1950's

It was known as Misamis Airfield during the Pre-World War II and Post-World War II until the municipality received cityhood status in 1948 and was changed to Ozamiz Airport. Philippine Airlines, the first airline to operate the airport, served regular air service to this airport using the McDonnell Douglas DC-3 from Manila. In the 1980s-90's, Philippine Airlines used their Fokker 50 and Sunriser planes to/from Manila and Cebu until the closure of the airport.

The airport was closed in 1998 after Philippine Airlines stopped the operation of their smaller Fokker and Sunriser planes because its runway could not accommodate jetliners and wide-bodied aircraft.

On July 11, 2007, Ozamiz Airport was re-opened[2] to the public with former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Provincial and City Officials joining the ceremonial event. PAL's subsidiary, PAL Express (then known as Air Philippines), was the first airline to land using the Boeing 737-200, the first jet plane to land during the opening of the airport.[3]

On November 10, 2008, Cebu Pacific Air launched its Ozamiz-Cebu[4] using their ATR 72-500.

On June 16, 2009, after the expansion, widening of the runway, and passing the runway jet requirement, a Cebu Pacific Airbus A319 successfully landed at the airport.

Currently, the airport is serving Manila flights using Cebu Pacific's and PAL Express' Airbus A320. While Cebu flights are only operated by Cebgo's ATR 72-600.

Rehabilitation and expansion

Extension and expansion of the airport runway started in 2005 using congressional funds of Misamis Occidental District 2 Congresswoman Herminia Ramiro. It was reopened to commercial flights on July 8, 2007, with Air Philippines offering direct Ozamiz-Manila routes.

Expansion and development of the airport particularly its runway, tarmac and passenger terminal building continued on the First Quarter of 2008.

In July 2009, implementation of the asphalt overlay began for the entire runway, apron and taxiway. This includes the setting up of runway lights to accommodate night flight operations.

On November 29, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte led the groundbreaking ceremony of the new passenger terminal as part of the modernization project of the airport. The entire cost of the project is about P922 million.[5] It is also part of the Build! Build! Build! program of the administration.[6][7]

Airlines and destinations

A PAL Express De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 bound for Cebu awaits passengers at the airport's ramp.
AirlinesDestinations
Cebgo Cebu
Cebu Pacific Manila
PAL Express Cebu (resumes December 16, 2023),[8] Manila

Statistics

Year Passenger
Movement
Percentage Increase and Country Rank
200720,618Steady100% - 29th
200880,290Increase289.42% - 24th
2009161,048Increase100.58% - 22nd
2010206,428Increase28.18% - 19th
2011228,956Increase10.91% - 18th
2012272,850Increase19.05% - 18th
2013 424,216 Increase55.46% - 18th
2014 224,253 Decrease47.14% - 21st
2015 218,985 Decrease 2.35% - 22nd
2016 290,996 Increase32.88% - 19th
2017 294,661[9] Increase1.26%
2018 333,891 Increase13.31%
2019 371,945 Increase11.40%
2020 129,092 Decrease 65.29% - 19th
Year Cargo Movement Percentage Increase
2016 5,437,415 Increase31.24%
2015 4,143,110 Increase5.55%
2014 3,925,413 Decrease13.98%
2013 4,563,663 Increase23.43%
2012 3,697,311 Increase11.02%
2011 3,330,270
2017
2018 5,822,719
2019 5,998,308 Increase3.02%
2020 1,276,481 Decrease 78.72%
Year Aircraft Movement Percentage Increase
2016 2,314 Increase14.67
2015 2,018 Decrease2.98%
2014 2,080 Decrease27.52%
2013 2,870 Increase11.5%
2012 2,574 Decrease1.23%
2011 2,606
2017
2018 3,217
2019 3,596 Increase11.78%
2020 976 Decrease256.44%

References

  1. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (July 23, 2018). "Yearly Passenger, Cargo and Aircraft Movements of all airports in the Philippines 1997-2017". Republic of the Philippines - Freedom of Information Portal. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  2. "PIA daily news in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Waray, Pangalatok from around the Philippines". Archives.pia.gov.ph.
  3. "The Exciting Centennial of Philippine Aviation: RPMO heats up as airlines battle for air supremacy". Philippineairspace.blogspot.com. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  4. "Cebu Pacific Air – Why everyone flies". Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  5. Dominguez-Cargullo, Dona (November 29, 2018). "Modernisasyon ng Ozamiz Airport, uumpisahan na". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Radyo Inquirer. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  6. "President Duterte led the groundbreaking of Ozamiz Airport Modernization Project". Philippine News Agency. November 30, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  7. "Night Rating of Ozamis Airport". Build.gov.ph. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  8. "PAL reopens more domestic flights from Cebu". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  9. "eFOI - Electronic Freedom of Information - Request". Foi.gov.ph. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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