The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is moving to position Casiguran Airport as a future international gateway, aiming to open northeastern Luzon to global trade, tourism, and investment.

Located within APECO, the airport is being developed as a central piece of infrastructure to transform Aurora Province into a more accessible and competitive economic hub. Officials said the project is expected to strengthen connectivity and attract new industries to the region.

“We will be bidding out the passenger terminal building and air traffic control tower this second quarter of the year,” APECO President and CEO Atty. Gil G. Taway IV said.

The planned upgrades are part of a broader effort to link Aurora directly to international markets. Taway noted that improved access is expected to make the province more appealing to investors and visitors, while supporting long-term economic growth.

Support for the project has also come from Aurora’s Lone District Representative Rommel Rico T. Angara, who expressed confidence in its timeline.

“In Baler, we have a domestic airport. But in Casiguran, together with APECO and the Board of Directors, our vision is for the coming years—final timeline will be 2028—to have an international, operational airport in Aurora Pacific Economic Zone,” Rep. Angara said.

He added that commercial flights are expected to begin operating in and out of Aurora Province by June 2027, signaling early progress toward the larger goal.

As development moves forward, APECO is banking on the airport project to anchor its push for a more connected, investment-ready region, with the long-term aim of establishing Aurora as a competitive gateway in the country’s northern corridor.