Maria Cristina Airport ( Cebuano: ''Tugpahanan sa Maria Cristina'';

Maranao The Maranao people (Maranao: mәranaw Filipino: ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranao, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is the term used by the Philippine government to refer to the southern indigenous people who are the "people of the lake", a predomi ...

: ''Landing a Maria Cristina'') , also known as Iligan Airport, is an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

serving the general area of

Iligan Iligan, officially the City of Iligan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Iligan; fil, Lungsod ng Iligan; Maranao: ''Inged a Iligan''), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Northern Mindanao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it ha ...

, located in the province of

Lanao del Norte Lanao del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Lanao''; tl, Hilagang Lanao; Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Ranao''), officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod. ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is the only airport in the province. The airport is classified as a secondary airport, or a minor commercial domestic airport, by the

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP, ; fil, Pangasiwaan sa Abyasyong Sibil ng Pilipinas) is the civil aviation authority of the Philippines and is responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, econo ...

. Located some 1,300 feet or 396 meters above sea level, Maria Cristina Airport has the distinction of being the highest airport in Mindanao and the second-highest in the Philippines, next to

Loakan Airport Loakan Airport ( ilo, Pagtayaban ti Loakan, fil, Paliparan ng Loakan) serves the general area of Baguio, Philippines. It is classified as a Class 2 principal (minor domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). L ...

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

. The airport takes its name from its location, Barangay Maria Cristina in the neighboring municipality of Balo-i. However, the airport can also be named after one of Iligan's most famous attractions,

Maria Cristina Falls Maria Cristina Falls is a waterfall of the Agus River in the Northern Mindanao region of the Philippines. It is sometimes called the "twin falls" as the flow is separated by a rock at the brink of the waterfall. It is located 9.3 kilometers a ...

. With the construction of

Laguindingan Airport Laguindingan Airport, also referred to as Laguindingan International Airport ( ceb, Tugpahanang Pangkalibutanon sa Laguindingan, fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Laguindingan; ), is an international airport in Northern Mindanao that serves the citi ...

in Misamis Oriental, designed to serve the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan corridor, this airport was replaced by the new airport along with Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro. The Laguindingan Airport located in

Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental Laguindingan, officially the Municipality of Laguindingan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Laguindingan; tl, Bayan ng Laguindingan), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Misamis Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

opened in 2013. It is expected to augment the city's need for a nearby airport as the new airport is only 65 kilometers away or at most 35 to 40 minutes away from Iligan. The new airport is a flagship project of the Mindanao Super Regions project as a major project of the Cagayan de Oro-Iligan Corridor (CIC).

Accidents and incidents

* Philippine Airlines Flight 443 was on approach to Iligan Airport on December 13, 1987, when it crashed into nearby Mt. Gurain. All 15 passengers and crew on board were killed.

Accidents and incidents

References

See also