Subic Bay International Airport

Subic Bay International Airport (Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Look ng Subic) or SBIA (IATA: SFS, ICAO: RPLB) serves as a secondary airport and a main diversion airport of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It is also the airport serving the immediate area of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and the general area of Olongapo City in the Philippines. This airport used to be the Naval Air Station Cubi Point of the United States Navy. Its airport terminal has 2 gates.

In January 2010, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Administrator and CEO Armand C. Arreza expressed interest in closing Subic Bay International Airport in favor of converting the area to a logistics hub. This was due to the closure of FedEx's delivery hub, which is located within the airport complex, and the planned expansion of the nearby Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Guam-based Aviation Concepts has declared its intent to set up a full service business jet center at Subic Bay International Airport, reviving hope for the long-term sustainability of the airport.

History

In 1950, Admiral Arthur W. Radford, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, envisioned an army base in the Western Pacific to enhance Seventh Fleet capabilities. In 1951, construction started on the Subic Bay Naval Base. In 1952, Admiral Radford made his first landing at Cubi Point. After decades of used by American forces, Mount Pinatubo exploded in 1991, burying Cubi Point in 18-36 inches of ash. Despite this, the American government wished to keep the Subic Naval Base and signed a treaty with the Philippine government. The treaty was not ratified, however, failing by a slim margin in the Philippine Senate. Attempts to negotiate a new treaty were soon abandoned and the United States was informed that it was to withdraw within one year. U.S. forces withdrew in November 1992, turning over the facility with its airport to the Philippine government. Initially some 8,000 volunteers guarded the facility and prevented looters from damaging the facilities. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) was created by intense lobby of then-Mayor Richard Gordon to manage the facility under Republic Act No. 7227. He was appointed first Chairman and Administrator.

Cargo airlines

As of October 2010, there are no cargo airlines operating in Subic Bay International Airport.

FedEx Express closed its hub at Subic Bay on February 6, 2009, this was the first hub to be closed in FedEx's history. The hub operation was relocated to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China and while ground and technical operations were transferred to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Angeles City. Together with its support company Corporate Air.

Flight training

Aeroflite Aviation Corporation

Aero Equipt Aviation Inc.

The airport is also a base of a flight school Aeroflite Aviation Corp since 2006. Aeroflite utilizes the Midway ramp as its aircraft parking ramp. Training flights are conducted everyday except for holidays and as long as the VFR in Subic Bay International Airport is open. The flight school has a fleet of Cessna 150, 152, 172, Piper Seneca and Beechcraft Baron 58. Flight training in Subic Airport is done under controlled airspace where radio communications is vital.

Events

Subic Bay International Airport hosted a number of wide-bodied aircraft during the seventh APEC Summit in 1996. They include a chartered Royal Brunei Airlines Airbus A340-200, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force Boeing 747-400, and Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200B, among others.