Francisco B. Reyes Airport

Francisco B. Reyes Airport
Paliparang Francisco B. Reyes
IATA: USU – ICAO: RPVV
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
Serves Coron and Busuanga, Palawan
Elevation AMSL 45 m / 148 ft
Coordinates 12°07′17″N 120°06′00″E / 12.12139°N 120.10000°E / 12.12139; 120.10000Coordinates: 12°07′17″N 120°06′00″E / 12.12139°N 120.10000°E / 12.12139; 120.10000
Map
USU/RPVV

Location in the Philippines

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 1,200 3,937 Concrete
Statistics (2008)
Passengers 51,431
Aircraft movements 3,376
Metric tonnes of cargo 1,235
Statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.[1]

Francisco B. Reyes Airport (Filipino: Paliparang Francisco B. Reyes), formerly Busuanga Airport (IATA: USU, ICAO: RPVV), is an airport serving the general area of Coron, located in the province of Palawan in the Philippines. It is also shared with the neighboring municipality of Busuanga. Since November 10, 2008, the airport has been named after Francisco B. Reyes, the mayor of Coron from 1936 to 1939 who donated the land that forms the current airport complex.[2]

The airport is classified as a Class 2 principal (minor domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a body of the Department of Transportation and Communications that is responsible for the operations of not only this airport but also of all other airports in the Philippines except the major international airports.

History and expansion

Francisco B. Reyes Airport is the target of two expansion projects. The first expansion, funded in part by a $3 million loan from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in cooperation with the Department of Transportation and Communications, broke ground in March 2007.[3] The expansion, which included the construction of a new terminal building, the completion of the airport's then-unfinished concrete runway and the upgrading of other facilities, was inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on November 17, 2008.[4]

The airport terminal was severely damaged by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013. Rehabilitation work was commenced by the municipality of Coron immediately after the typhoon to enable the airport to continue receiving passengers,[5] and was completed by October 2014.[6] Traffic to and from Coron was negatively affected by the airport's closure, with tourist arrivals falling by up to 75%.[7]

A ₱4.1 billion second expansion is also planned for the airport, funded entirely by the national government, with the aim of making it capable of supporting both jet and nighttime operations.[8][5]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air Juan Puerto Princesa, Caticlan
Cebgo Manila
Philippine Airlines
operated by PAL Express 		Manila
SkyJet Manila

References

  1. ↑ "Philippine Aircraft, Passenger and Cargo Statistics 2001-2008". 3 March 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
  2. ↑ Republic of the Philippines. (Enacted: November 10, 2008). Proclamation No. 1665, s. 2008 - RENAMING BUSUANGA AIRPORT TO FRANCISCO B. REYES AIRPORT LOCATED AT THE MUNICIPALITY OF CORON, PROVINCE OF PALAWAN. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  3. ↑ Quismundo, Tarra (March 18, 2007). "Airport upgrade seen making Coron the next tourism gateway". Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc.). Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Arroyo to inaugurate upgraded Busuanga airport Monday". GMA News and Public Affairs. November 16, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Formoso, Celeste Anna R. (January 31, 2014). "TIEZA appropriates funds for expansion of Busuanga Airport in northern Palawan". Philippines News Agency. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ Bayos, Kris (November 9, 2014). "Gov’t eyes new airport for Leyte". Manila Bulletin (Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation). Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  7. ↑ Cayon, Manuel (June 11, 2015). "More passengers use Busuanga airport". BusinessMirror (Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc.). Archived from the original on June 20, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  8. ↑ "PH gov't gives go-ahead to P62B worth of infrastructure projects". PortCalls Asia (ProQuest Publishing, Inc.). June 4, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2015.

See also

External links

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