Subic Bay International Airport: Soaring to new heights

SUBIC BAY Freeport — The Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) is a symbol of resilience and change inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, from its roots as an air station for the United States Navy up to becoming a world-class international airport.

Under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the SBIA started as a realization during the Korean War when the United States Navy needed an air station in the region. In 1950, United States Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief Admiral Arthur W. Radford selected the Cubi Point inside the former US Naval Base to become an air station.

A glimpse of the past

In 1951, the US Navy’s Seabees started the construction of the air station, leveling a mountain to make way for a nearly 3.2 km runway. It was then called the Naval Air Station (NAS) Cubi Point, then considered as one of the largest earth-moving projects in the world, equivalent to the construction of the Panama Canal.

The NAS Cubi Point was commissioned on 25 July 1956, with the area having an air station with an adjacent pier capable of docking the Navy’s largest carriers. After decades of use by American forces, Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, burying Cubi Point in 45cm to 90 cm of ash.

After negotiations failed to forge a new treaty between the US and the Philippines, the US withdrew from the former US Naval Base in November 1992, turning over the facility and the airport to the Philippine government.

Twenty days after the departure of American forces, the airport ushered in its first commercial flight from Taiwan via Makung. In February 1993, NAS Cubi Point was renamed to Cubi Point International Airport.

The late President Fidel V. Ramos, in an effort to show its designation as an international airport, arrived at the Cubi Point International Airport in November of 1993 from an official visit to the United States. The arrival of Ramos proved the capabilities of the airport as the President arrived aboard the delivery flight of Philippine Airlines’ first Boeing 747-400.

A new runway of the airport was constructed by the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines in 1993 and was completed in April of 1995, just in time for the inaugural landing of FedEx Express MD-11 and the formal opening of FedEx’s AsiaOne hub.

The newly renamed Subic Bay International Airport was formally opened on 30 September 1996.

The new US$12.6-million passenger terminal, with a capacity to handle 6 million passengers per year, and built by Summa Kumagai Inc. (a joint Filipino-Japanese venture) was inaugurated on 4 November 1996, in time for the 4th APEC Leaders’ Summit.

Between 1992 and 1995 SBIA welcomed a total of around 100,000 commercial passengers. The airport was expected to handle 110,000 passengers in 1996.

In 1997, SBIA topped the 100,000 annual passenger count. For the year 1998, the airport handled a total of around 1,000 international and 6,000 domestic flights, and almost 100,000 inbound and outbound passengers.

By 2007, the number of recorded passengers had dropped to 17,648, but due to the presence of the FedEx AsiaOne Hub the airport still handled 115,108 flights.

The FedEx hub lasted until February 2009, when all operations were moved to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China.

Fixed-base operations

In December 2010, Guam-based Aviation Concepts Inc. set up fixed-base operations at the airport, refurbishing a 9,300 sqm hangar to international standards, with the aim of eventually establishing a full-service aviation center.

In 2016, the airport began to once again be used for daily commercial passenger flights, with Air Juan flying their nine-seater amphibious aircraft to and from their private seaplane base in Manila South Harbor, located north of the CCP Complex.

In 2018, Razon Group acquired Aviation Concepts Technical Services Inc. (ACTSI) and signed a 25-year lease agreement (as well as a 25-year option) with the local government that will see the airport transformed into a regional business aviation hub, with a 50 plus years potential. The company is refurbishing its 1.8-acre (7,300 m2) facility and targeting to its premiere upgrade in the third quarter of 2019.

In July 2021, the airport was used again for repatriation flights of overseas Filipino workers, which were facilitated by Philippine Airlines. The activity led to the revival of a commercial flight schedule for the first time since 2011 despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Repatriation flights to the airport ended on 22 February 2022 after capacity restrictions at Ninoy Aquino International Airport were eased.

Soaring higher

SBMA is expecting a significant upgrade in its airport facilities with an ultimate goal of modernizing infrastructure, boosting economic activity and solidifying Subic Bay’s position as a major gateway for trade and tourism.

This is in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 of the Marcos administration.

The Plan states that existing airports will be improved and new ones will be strategically developed to address future demand. Existing airports will be upgraded to meet aerodrome design safety standards set by international and local airport authorities, including development and improvement of access roads.

Meanwhile, the bundling of airports as possible Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) projects will be pursued to encourage private sector investments, while gateway airports will be developed and connected to feeder airports to facilitate access to the country’s various tourist destinations.

Optimal sites

Development of new airports will consider optimal sites outside urban areas to allow rooms for future expansion and possible upgrade to international airports.

The Marcos administration is aggressively pursuing the Build Better More (BBM) infrastructure development program, which seeks to expand the previous administration’s Build! Build! Build! (BBB) Program to help address the inadequacies of the country’s infrastructure.

The BBM infrastructure program for 2023 to 2028 presently includes 198 high impact infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) with an overall investment cost of P8.8 trillion.