Iloilo International Airport

Iloilo International Airport (Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Iloilo, Hiligaynon: Internasyonal nga Hulugpaan sang Iloilo) (IATA: ILO, ICAO: RPVI) is the airport serving the general area of Iloilo City, the capital city of the province of Iloilo and the regional center of the Western Visayas region in the Philippines. It opened its doors to commercial traffic on June 14, 2007 after a decade of planning and construction, replacing Mandurriao Airport in Iloilo City proper which had been in service for over seventy years. As a result, the new airport inherited its IATA and ICAO airport codes, as well as its position as the fourth-busiest airport in the Philippines, from its predecessor.Despite being called an "international" airport, it is officially designated as a Class 1 principal (major domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the body responsible for the operations of all airports in the country. In addition to being the first airport in both Western Visayas and the island of Panay to be built to international standards, it is considered one of four international airports in the Visayas.

The airport is located 19 kilometers (12 mi) northwest of Iloilo City on a 188-hectare (460-acre) site in Barangay Duyan-Duyan, split between the municipalities of Cabatuan, where the airport proper is located, and Santa Barbara, where the airport entrance and access road are located. The airport complex consists of a single runway, various administrative and maintenance buildings, waste sorting and water treatment facilities, a power generating station, a cargo terminal and a main passenger terminal. Its location on the Tomas Confesor Highway, a major highway transversing the island, makes the airport accessible from all parts of Iloilo and Panay by road, while its proximity to the currently defunct Panay Railways network could potentially link the airport to the rest of Panay by rail.

The situation at Mandurriao Airport

Prior to the construction of Iloilo International Airport, Iloilo City was served by Mandurriao Airport in Iloilo City proper, which had been in operation since 1937. Though continually expanded in order to accommodate the changing demands of the city throughout much of its history, Iloilo City's rapid urbanization had made this feat impossible by the 1990s. The 2,202-square-meter (23,700 sq ft) terminal building,constructed in 1982 to handle the passenger demands of a single airline (Philippine Airlines, being the Philippines' aviation monopoly at the time), was unable to cope with the liberalization of the Philippine aviation industry and the subsequent boom in air travel, when as many as four airlines served the airport at the same time and where the passenger terminal needed to have an area of at least 7,800 square meters (84,000 sq ft) in order to absorb all peak-hour demand.

The airport's problems continued to linger with it into the new millennium. The increasing incidence of terrorism in the Philippines for example forced aviation officials to restrict airport access only to passengers, the sealing of doors and windows at airport terminals being an essential component thereof. However, the airport's architecture (which took advantage of natural ventilation) and lack of air conditioning made the airport's pre-departure and arrival areas very uncomfortable for passengers to stay in. To counteract this, the Air Transportation Office (the forerunner of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) installed six air-conditioning units at the pre-departure area. Although the installed units were able to provide a degree of comfort to passengers, the ATO recognized that their efforts were inadequate: in order to effectively provide a comfortable environment for passengers throughout the entire terminal building, twenty-three air conditioners needed to be installed. Passenger complaints meanwhile were not limited to just the lack of air conditioning: despite the existence of a baggage X-ray machine, passengers flying other airlines were forced to have their baggage manually checked as the machine was ostensibly for the sole use of Philippine Airlines passengers.

Planning and construction

In October 1995, the Iloilo city government announced its intention to construct a new airport outside the city in cooperation with the private sector. A year later, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced its intention to construct a new airport in Iloilo with German assistance, originally to serve as a reliever for a larger airport to be built in Silay City, Negros Occidental (which would later become the New Bacolod-Silay Airport). Although two sites were initially proposed: north of the city in Santa Barbara and south of the city in the province of Guimaras, the ATO decided to keep the airport in Iloilo, citing the lack of demand in Guimaras to justify construction there.The Regional Development Council for Western Visayas (RDC) endorsed the project to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in July 1997. Despite the endorsements, the NEDA, citing an internal rate of return below the set "hurdle rate" of fifteen percent and the impossibility of acquiring some 415 hectares (1,030 acres) of land for the project in one year, rejected the airport proposal in February 1998, and the project was subsequently excluded from the 1998 development cooperation program of the German government.

Concurrent though with the planning of the new airport, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) initiated a study on the master planning and long-term development plans of four key domestic airports in the Philippines. The report cited Mandurriao Airport, Bacolod City Domestic Airport, Legazpi Airport and Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City as these key domestic airports, noting the high growth of passenger and cargo volume there and the eventual need for expansion. Heeding the recommendations of the JICA report, President Joseph Estrada signed a memorandum in November 1998 creating the Iloilo Airport Coordinating Committee, headed by Iloilo-born senator Franklin Drilon. The coordinating committee decided that a new airport was needed for Iloilo City as Mandurriao Airport was deemed unexpandable due to operational obstacles and the presence of slums and other natural and civic structures that would restrict expansion efforts. In addition, the committee, objecting to the idea that the new airport would serve merely as a reliever for the new Bacolod airport, successfully lobbied for an international airport to be built in lieu of a domestic one.The project finally received NEDA approval in March 2000, with Cabatuan as the location of the new airport based on a study performed by both the DOTC and the JICA later that year.

Name

During construction, the airport was officially called the New Iloilo Airport Development Project, or NIADP. However, as the airport was nearing completion, there were three main contenders for the airport's name: Iloilo International Airport, the original name of the airport which had the support of the Iloilo provincial and city governments; Panay International Airport, proposed by the President and supported by the RDC, which at the time was led by Antique governor Salvacion Perez; and Graciano Lopez-Jaena International Airport, named after the Iloilo-born Graciano López Jaena, proposed by the Dr. Graciano Lopez-Jaena Foundation with the support of the RDC and Antique governor Perez, who is also a member of the foundation, and endorsed by the National Historical Institute.

Out of the three proposals, the name Panay International Airport was dropped due to opposition by the Iloilo city and provincial governments, the mayor of Cabatuan and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, all citing that it is illogical to rename an airport after an island as large as Panay. Prospects for Graciano Lopez-Jaena International Airport are better, with Iloilo governor Niel Tupas saying that the feasibility of renaming the airport after López Jaena or any other Ilonggo should be studied first.

Inauguration and start of operations

Accompanied by national and local officials, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cuts the ribbon at the airport ribbon cutting ceremony on June 13, 2007.

Iloilo International Airport was originally scheduled to open on March 19, 2007, when its inaugural flight would land; however, this was moved to April 16, with commercial operations commencing on April 21.This date was likewise scrapped due to the inability of the President to attend because of the hospitalization of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, with a new date scheduled for sometime in late April. Some sources indicated that the airport would open on May 10, 2007 during a major TEAM Unity rally in Iloilo City that President Arroyo was expected to attend, although this date was not considered in favor of a date after the 2007 elections,specifically in June, in order to avoid political overtones from dominating the airport's opening. The final date chosen for the airport's inauguration was June 13, 2007,with commercial services commencing the next day. By that time, airlines had already transferred their offices to the new airport.

Runway

Iloilo International Airport has one primary 2,500-meter (8,200 ft) runway 45 meters (148 ft) wide.The runway runs at a direction of 02°/20°, the same as Mandurriao Airport. Unlike the runway at Mandurriao, the longer runway at Iloilo International Airport can support aircraft as large as the Airbus A330 and Boeing 767. Runway lights and an Instrument Landing System were installed, making the airport capable of supporting low-visibility and night landings.

Passenger terminal

Pre-departure area of Iloilo International Airport

The airport has a 13,700-square-meter (147,000 sq ft) main passenger terminal designed to accommodate around 1.2 million passengers annually. Believed to be one of the most beautifully-designed airport terminals in the Philippines, its architectural style is said to be reminiscent of Hong Kong International Airport, albeit on a smaller scale.It is divided into three levels: arrivals and baggage claim on the first floor, check-in on the second floor and departures on the third floor. The pre-departure area at Iloilo International Airport has a capacity of 436 passengers. Three jet bridges protrude from the terminal above a 48,000-square-meter (520,000 sq ft) apron, enabling Iloilo International Airport to handle up to six aircraft simultaneously. When fully extended, the jet bridges stretch to a length of 35 meters (115 ft).

The terminal is equipped with six X-ray machines, as well as escalators and staircases for departing and arriving passengers' use. There are also two elevators, one for very important persons and one for disabled passengers.

Cargo terminal

Iloilo International Airport has a 1,281-square-meter (13,790 sq ft) cargo terminal, designed to handle up to 11,500 tons of cargo annually. The three-storey building, built in an architectural style similar to that of the main terminal building, has a covered platform, bathrooms, government offices and cargo handling areas, as well as its own parking lot. Airline offices also occupy the structure, secured by means of a perimeter fence with a guard house.

Road

A secondary access road leading to the airport complex. This road branches from the main access road leading to the airport.

Iloilo International Airport is connected to Iloilo City proper via the Tomas Confesor Highway. At Bangga Dama in Santa Barbara, a bypass branches from the highway, leading to a 3-kilometer (1.9 mi) long, 30-meter (98 ft) wide access road which links the airport complex to the highway. The access road is wide enough to be able to accommodate four lanes of traffic. The estimated travel time to the airport from Iloilo City proper is around thirty minutes.

To relieve crowding on the main access road during peak hours, a 3.2-kilometer (2.0 mi) secondary access road was constructed, connecting the airport to Cabatuan proper. The 124 million-peso ($2.6 million) road is expected to improve connectivity between the airport and both northern Iloilo and southern Capiz, as well as reduce travel times from there to the airport by at least fifteen minutes. The two-lane road opened in July 2010.

Public transportation

Although public transport routes to and from the airport are being studied, no franchises for transport services to the airport have been granted yet by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Some transport operators, however, are showing interest in starting shuttle services to the airport from Iloilo City, while others have drawn proposals for public transport routes from Iloilo City directly to the airport.A shuttle service is currently available to the airport from Iloilo City, with pick-up and drop-off points at SM City Iloilo and Jaro Plaza.

Taxi service is available to the airport from Iloilo City proper, with the average fare from Jaro Plaza in downtown Iloilo City costing around 163 pesos ($3.90) as of 2007.However, taxi operators have filed a petition with the LTFRB to increase airport rates by 150 pesos, a move opposed by Governor Tupas as it would make taxi fares to the airport the most expensive out of any route going to an airport in the Philippines, as well as hurt the tourism industry.

Rail

A train linking Iloilo International Airport to Iloilo City proper, similar to the Airport Express in Hong Kong and similar systems in other cities, has been proposed.A study to determine the feasibility of a train service has since been commissioned by the city government.Other proposals to connect the airport to the city via rail include the revival of the currently defunct Panay Railways network which has a station in Santa Barbara town proper.