Francisco Bangoy International Airport

Updated on Jan 12, 2024

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Airport type Public Elevation AMSL 18 m / 59 ft Elevation 18 m Passenger count 3,553,201		Serves Davao City Code DVO Phone +63 82 234 0418

Operator Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Location Catitipan, Barangay Buhangin, Davao City Hub for Cebu PacificPAL ExpressPhilippines AirAsia Address Buhangin, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Philippines Similar Nielson Field, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Philippine airlines boeing 747 400 landing at francisco bangoy international airport davao

Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Cebuano: Tugpahanang Pangkalibutan sa Francisco Bangoy, Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Francisco Bangoy), also known as Davao International Airport (IATA: DVO, ICAO: RPMD), is the main airport serving Davao City in the Philippines. It is the busiest airport on the island of Mindanao. The airport has a single 3,000-meter precision runway.

A new terminal replaces the previous airport terminals, which lie just across it, in handling both domestic and international flights operating to and from Davao. The modern facility is designed to handle approximately 2 million passengers annually and 84,600 metric tons of cargo annually. The added capacity is also complemented by the latest navigational, security, and baggage handling equipment.

The modernization and upgrading of the airport facilities aims to cement Davao as a hub for tourism and foreign investment in the region. Development was funded by a forty million-dollar loan from the Asian Development Bank, co-financed by the European Investment Bank for twenty-five million ECUs, and through budgetary allocations from the government. The total cost of the project amounted to $128 million.

After almost a decade, the new terminal was finally inaugurated on December 2, 2003. Initial construction began in 2000 while plans for construction were announced in 1992.

On November 12, 2007, Cebu Pacific announced this airport as its third hub.

History

Francisco Bangoy International Airport began operations in the 1940s with a donation of land in Barangay Sasa, located in the Buhangin district of Davao City, by Don Francisco Bangoy, the patriarch of an influential family residing in the city. At the time it began operation, the airport merely consisted of a 1,200-meter unpaved grass runway and quonset huts serving as terminal buildings. At the time, and throughout much of the 1940s and 1950s, both Philippine Airlines and the Philippine Air Force provided air service to the city.

By 1959, the complex consisted of a small control tower and several low-rise buildings. Right of way and access to the terminal buildings and the airport was improved through further donation of land by Paciano Bangoy during the latter stages of his gubernatorial term. A new terminal designed by Filipino architect Leandro Locsin, with a capacity of one million passengers, was constructed in 1980 and the runway was progressively extended from its original length of 1,200 meters to its current 3,000 meters. Both projects were funded during the term of then-Congressman Manuel Garcia, whose congressional district covers the airport perimeter.

Rapid growth at the airport precipitated the construction of a P15 million interim international terminal beside the airport's then-existing terminal, and then eventually a new, larger terminal building which would consolidate the two existing terminals. In planning since 1992, construction began in 2000 and subsequently inaugurated on December 2, 2003, with a capacity double that of the old airport terminal. The construction of the new P2.7 billion building was funded by both the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank. The biggest aircraft to land in Francisco Bangoy International Airport is the Antonov An-124 Ruslan (registration number UR-82027), is made to deliver the fuselage of the damaged Cebu Pacific Airbus A320 that overshot the runway during a heavy rain since June 2, 2013.

In June 2015, the Mindanao Development Authority plans to turn the 1980-2003 airport terminal into a trade and cultural museum. The plans are still being studied.

Plans

A Philippine Tourism Development Plan was released by the Department of Tourism, which includes Davao International Airport:

Project 3: Upgrade

This project comprises the following tasks:

Improve city-side access road, parking and air operations and ground transportation support services by immediately reverting to the proper vehicle drop-off and pick up arrangements, and ensuring effective integration of the three security services (Airport, PNP, and Military)

Immediately decongest passenger-handling capacity in the existing departure area by rationalizing office and commercial space to increase the number of check-in counters and queuing space. Implement master plan to expand the international terminal by 2 gates and dedicate 4 gates for domestic air operations with flexibility to use international gates as required.

Expand CIQS facilities as required

Expand parking aprons for terminal expansion and work on acquiring land to construct a 3,000 m x 36 m parallel taxiway

Conversion to Airport Authority that includes marketing of airport to carriers as part of its charter

Project 4: Upgrade

This project comprises the following tasks:

Immediately decongest passenger- handling capacity in existing departure area by rationalizing office and commercial space to increase the number of check-in counters and queuing spaces. About 40 check- in counters. Implementing master plan to expand the international terminal by 10 gates and dedicate 10 gates for domestic air operations.

More Airlines are looking to expand their network to Davao. This includes: Qatar Airways, Air China, Cathay Pacific, Air Busan, EVA Air, Korean Air, Jinair, Jeju Air, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa technik, Skylogistics and Miascor have visited the airport and the city.

Terminal

The P2.7 billion passenger terminal is a Malay architecture-inspired building which is four times larger than the old terminal. It is fully computerized, more secure and has more commercial spaces for concessionaires at approximately 9,000 sq. meters of gross leasable area. It has four units of jet bridges for passengers. It has also a Flight Information Display System and Closed-circuit television system complementing the terminal's security system.

The terminal has 14 domestic and 14 international check-in counters that can handle a steady flow of passenger traffic. The Check-in counters are equipped with electronic weighing scales and conveyors and its baggage handling system is also computerized. It also has 2 arrival areas, for domestic and international with 2 baggage conveyors each. The Cargo Terminal Building covers almost 5,580 sq. meters and can handle up to 84,600 metric tons of cargo a year.

Runway

The airport has a single 3,000-meter long runway by 45m wide that can handle wide-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A330, the Airbus A340, Boeing 747, and Boeing 777. The installation of a new instrument landing system (ILS) for both Runways 05 and 23 upgraded its compliance to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) operating category-Precision Approach Category 1. It can accommodate 8-10 aircraft landings per hour, depending on size and has the equivalent 9 gate holding areas for those aircraft. The airport has also 2 dual access taxiway. Taxiways A3 and A4 are used to access the new ramp and terminal; taxiways B and C are used for access to the old airport ramp.

The largest aircraft to land at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport is an Antonov An-124. The Antonov An-124 is the fourth largest plane in the world, next to the Boeing 747-8.

Other structures

Besides the main terminal building, there are also new support facilities like the Administration Building, Airfield Maintenance Building, Central Plant Building, Hangar for Military and Training aircraft and Fire/Crash/Rescue Building. It has a 688-slot car parking area and 4 slots for shuttle buses. It has a 3-megawatt standby power generator. The Air Traffic Control tower is considered as one of the most advanced in the Philippines.

Airlines and destinations

Notes:

^Note 1 : This flight makes a stop between Davao and the listed destination, however, it has no rights to transport passengers solely between Davao and the intermediate stop.

^Note 2 : Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has announced that it will start operating chartered flights from Davao to Medina and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia intended for Hajj delegates to the Muslims’ annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Incidents

On April 19, 2000, Air Philippines Flight 541, a Boeing 737-200 en route from Manila to Davao crashed near the airport killing 131 people.

On March 4, 2003, a bomb exploded in the waiting shed outside the old terminal building, killing 21 people. At least 145 others were injured when the bomb went off.

On the night of August 25, 2008, a Philippine Air Force, C-130 Hercules bound for Iloilo City crashed into Davao Gulf shortly after take off from Davao International Airport. The aircraft sank 800 feet into the gulf. The incident killed nine crew members plus two Philippine Army soldiers. After several days of a search-and-retrieval operation, the wreckage was found with the help of a US Navy ship, the USNS John McDonnell.

On June 2, 2013, a Cebu Pacific Flight 971 (registration number RP-C3266) carrying 165 passengers inbound from Manila, overshot the runway during a heavy rain. There were no fatalities, however the plane was heavily damaged. The damaged aircraft was moved to the old airport terminal for the investigation and parting.

References

Francisco Bangoy International Airport Wikipedia

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