Zamboanga Airport: From disappointment to accomplishment

27 September 2021

By Goddes Hope Libiran

In March 2018, dismay and exasperation dawned on Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Art Tugade when he visited Zamboanga for a surprise inspection of the Zamboanga International Airport. This, as Secretary Tugade was filled with unbelief that one of the country’s international gateways is operating with facilities that are rather unkempt and in a “sorry state.”

He was greeted with a small baggage carousel and the lack of appropriate gang chairs and passenger seats at boarding areas. Moreover, during the inspection, he discovered multiple potholes two inches deep on the airport’s runway.

These frailties of the airport immediately irked the DoTr Secretary as he ordered airport officials to immediately act on the matter. Pointing out the extreme urgency to resolve the issues that have caused inconvenience to air passengers at the Zamboanga Airport for a long time, Secretary Tugade promised to return to the airport and left with a stringent warning to aviation officials.

“When I return and Zamboanga Airport is not rehabilitated yet, I will knock your heads. I will make sure someone will be responsible for it,” Secretary Tugade stressed.

Since then, significant improvements were carried out at the Zamboanga International Airport.

Far from its previous condition, the airport now offers a larger and expanded passenger terminal building (PTB), which can hold at least 750 passengers at any given time from the previous passenger capacity of only 500.

Aside from the expanded PTB, other development projects at the airport include the establishment of the Malasakit Hall and GAD Multipurpose Hall. During the construction phase of these projects, a total of 150 individuals were given job opportunities.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines also continues with the airport’s improvement as other projects are ongoing, such as the repair and asphalt overlay of its runway, and the grading of its runway strip.

Three years since his 2018 visit, Secretary Tugade will return to the Zamboanga Airport to inaugurate these completed projects, not any more dismayed and disappointed, but now full of pride and enthusiasm.

With the important role being played by Zamboanga International Airport in support of the region’s economic progress, the development projects completed are expected to further promote ease of connectivity and mobility, while ensuring equitable and inclusive growth in the areas of employment, trade and investments.