Airports In The Philippines: A Comprehensive Guide

The Philippines is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia, consisting of nearly 7,641 islands. It is a well-connected country, with 88 airports in total, including 45 commercial airports. These airports can be classified into international, community, and domestic airports. The country's busiest airports include Clark International Airport, Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Mactan-Cebu Airport, and Francisco Bangoy International Airport, commonly known as Davao International Airport.

Clark International Airport

The Philippines has 45 commercial airports, and Clark International Airport (IATA: CRK, ICAO: RPLC) is one of its busiest. The airport is located within the Clark Freeport Zone, serving the Manila Metropolitan Area and the Central and Northern Luzon region. Clark International Airport is 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Manila and is accessible via the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

Davao International Airport

The airport has a single 3,000-meter precision runway and a modern terminal building, which was inaugurated in 2003. This new terminal replaced the previous airport terminals and can handle approximately 2 million passengers annually, as well as 84,600 metric tons of cargo. The airport currently serves 7 airlines and handles between 3 and 4 million passengers each year. Davao International Airport serves 13 domestic destinations within the Philippines and offers both domestic and international flights.

The airport has undergone several upgrades and expansions over the years, with the most recent expansion announced in 2017. This project aimed to expand the existing passenger terminal building, construct a parallel taxiway, and introduce new technologies. The modernization and upgrading of the airport facilities are intended to promote tourism and foreign investment in the region. The runway was extended to accommodate future international flights, and the airport now features the latest navigational, security, and baggage handling equipment.

Mactan-Cebu Airport

The Philippines has 45 commercial airports, with almost every region having an airport within 50 km. Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is the second busiest airport in the Philippines. It is located on a 797-hectare site in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island and serves as the main gateway to the Central Visayas region. The airport is managed by the Mactan–Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and operated by the GMR–Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation.

Mactan-Cebu International Airport has two passenger terminals. Terminal 1, built in 1990, serves as the domestic terminal, while Terminal 2 serves international airlines. Terminal 2 was inaugurated by President Rodrigo Duterte on June 7, 2018, and became operational on July 1. The airport has various lounges, as well as a hotel at Terminal 2 called Aerotel Cebu. It offers services and facilities such as currency exchange kiosks, ATMs, massage services, a pharmacy, duty-free shopping, and concession stands.

The airport was opened on April 27, 1966, for domestic flights, replacing the now-closed Lahug Airport. International charter flights commenced in 1978. The airport serves as a hub for Philippine Airlines and an operating base for Cebu Pacific, Philippines AirAsia, and Sunlight Air. On March 11, 2025, MCIA was named the Best Airport in Asia-Pacific.

On National Heroes Day in 2018, President Duterte expressed support for renaming the airport after Mactan chieftain Lapu-Lapu, whose forces killed Ferdinand Magellan during the Battle of Mactan in 1521. The airport was closed indefinitely on December 16, 2021, after sustaining heavy damage from Typhoon Rai (Odette). It resumed operations on December 19, 2021, under a new layout that integrated both terminals.

Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport

The Philippines has 45 commercial airports, with almost every region having an airport within 50 km. One of the major airports in the Philippines is the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL/RPLL). The airport is also known as the Manila International Airport (MIA) and was renamed in 1987 to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The NAIA Road (Ninoy Aquino International Airport Road) is a short 8-10 lane divided highway connecting Roxas Boulevard and the Manila–Cavite Expressway (R-1) with NAIA. The airport has four terminals, with Terminal 1 being the second oldest, covering 73,000 square meters (790,000 sq ft) and designed to handle six million passengers annually. Terminal 1, opened in 1982, exclusively handles international flights. The airport also has a landside shuttle service between all terminals for passengers making connections.

The Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport is based at both the Centennial Terminal (Terminal 2) and the International Cargo Terminal. PAL Airport Services offers ground handling for seven international airlines calling at Manila, while Philippine Airlines Cargo processes and ships an average of 200 tonnes of Manila publications and 2 tonnes of mail daily throughout the country and 368 tonnes of cargo abroad daily.

The airport has received criticism for its facilities, with some calling it a "disgrace to the country". The terminal and the curb side where one waits for their car are said to be in need of an upgrade, with the lounge described as overcrowded and uncomfortable.

In May 2018, a petition was started to restore the original name of the airport, Manila International Airport (MIA). The petition argued that the renaming of MIA to NAIA in 1987 was "well in advance of the 10-year prescription period for naming public sites after dead personalities". In June 2020, a bill was filed to rename the airport to Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas, or the International Airport of the Philippines.

Subic Bay International Airport

The airport was previously known as NAS Cubi Point, which was converted to Cubi Point International Airport in February 1993. The newly renamed Subic Bay International Airport was formally opened on 30 September 1996, with a new $12.6 million passenger terminal capable of handling 6 million passengers per year. The airport is managed and operated by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), which was created to manage the facility by Republic Act No. 7227.

In 2010, Guam-based Aviation Concepts Inc. set up fixed-base operations at the airport, refurbishing a 100,000-square-foot hangar to international standards. In 2016, the airport resumed daily commercial passenger flights, and in 2021, it was used for repatriation flights of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frequently asked questions