Tagbilaran Airport ( Cebuano: ''Tugpahanan sa Tagbilaran'',

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

: ''Paliparan ng Tagbilaran'') was an airport serving the general area of

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagbilaran), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,976 people. Encompassing a la ...

, the capital city of the province of

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...

in the Philippines. The airport was built and opened in the 1960s until it was closed for scheduled passenger services on November 27, 2018, when it was replaced by the new

Bohol–Panglao International Airport Bohol–Panglao International Airport ( ceb, Tugpahanang Pangkalibutanon sa Bohol–Panglao; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Bohol–Panglao; ), also known as New Bohol International Airport, is an international airport on Panglao Island in the pr ...

History

Tagbilaran Airport was built and opened in the 1960s and became Bohol's main gateway since its opening. Prior to 1995,

Philippine Airlines Philippine Airlines (PAL), a trade name of PAL Holdings, Inc. ( PSEPAL (Philippine Air Lines until 1970), is the flag carrier airline of the Philippines. Headquartered at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay, the airline was founded in 1941 and i ...

was the sole airline operating flights from Tagbilaran Airport to

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...

and

Mactan–Cebu International Airport Mactan–Cebu International Airport ( ceb, Tugpahanang Pangkalibutan sa Mactan–Sugbo; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Mactan–Cebu; ) is an international airport serving Metro Cebu and serves as the main gateway to the Central Visayas region ...

from Tagbilaran Airport with a frequency of 2 to 3 flights a day. The airport formerly served flights from

until these flights were cancelled due to the introduction of ferry services between Cebu and Bohol. In the 2000s and 2010s, the airport reached capacity and was congested. The airport was not capable of operating during nighttime. A new airport in Panglao Island was planned to replace Tagbilaran Airport. The feasibility study for the new airport project started in 2000 and was approved in 2012. The

2013 Bohol earthquake The 2013 Bohol earthquake occurred on October 15 at in Bohol, an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines. The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 7.2, with epicenter of Sagbayan, and its depth of focus was . It affe ...

caused damage including the collapse of a ceiling in the control tower. Operations were suspended for three hours but later resumed.

Closure and proposed redevelopment

On 27 November 2018, the airport was closed for scheduled passenger services from 18:00 onwards, being replaced by

with advanced and modern facilities, and having the capability to operate during nighttime, enabling 24-hour operations a day. A month later, in December 2018, the site of the former airport was planned to be redeveloped into a

mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

, initially dubbed as the Bohol Business Park. In October 2020, a resolution was approved by the infrastructure development committee of the

Central Visayas Central Visayas ( ceb, Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an; tl, Gitnang Kabisayaan) is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: (Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor) and thr ...

Regional Development Council asking the

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways ( fil, Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan}), abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering ...

to authorize a study for a possible connector infrastructure or viaduct highway connecting the third Panglao-Tagbilaran bridge to Manga, a

barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

in the north of the city, with an exit going to the airport. A plan was also unveiled by Governor

Arthur Yap Arthur Yap Chioh Hiong (; 1943 – 19 June 2006) was a Singaporean poet, writer and painter. Biography Arthur Yap was born in Singapore, the sixth child of a carpenter and a housewife. Yap attended St Andrew's School and the University of Si ...

for the airport to become a creative industry hub. In July 2021, the Tagbilaran City council raised concerns over the safety and cleanliness of the defunct airport, citing the accumulation of garbage in the runway, some vehicles that were passing directly through the runway, and other safety issues. Months prior, the airport site hosted various events including a mobile market and the month-long Ubi Festival. A campaign rally of Vice President and presidential candidate

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the wife of the late Jesse ...

and incumbent Senator and vice-presidential candidate

Francis Pangilinan Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who served as a Senator from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2004 to 2008. A ...

was held at the airport's runway on 1 April 2022 as part of their campaign for the 2022 general elections.

Former airlines and destinations

The destinations of Tagbilaran Airport before its closure.

Gallery

File:A Philippine Airlines A320-214 ready for takeoff at Bohol's Tagbilaran Airport..jpg, A

Airbus A320-200 at Tagbilaran Airport in 2012. ,

' Airbus A319-100 is parked at the airport's ramp on a flight back to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

in April 2012. , Tagbilaran Airport's aerial view taken from an aircraft on approach in October 2013. File:Tagbilaran Airport 2.jpg,

Cebu Pacific Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific (), is a low-cost airline of the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. The airline operates fl ...

Airbus A319-100 at Tagbilaran Airport in 2009. , One of Air Asia Zest's Airbus A320s taxis out of the airport's ramp for takeoff in May 2013.

References

External links