iloilo 'international' airport

historicphilippines.com & oldphilippines.comproudly present:

Iloilo International AirportCabatuan, Iloilo.

April 10, 2023 ©HISTORICPHILIPPINES.COM 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1

A story from the Philippines.

written & photographed by:

Fergus JM Ducharme, BA, DipAdEd, CLU

with the assistance of:

She Who Must be Obeyed


A Historic Philippines Heritage Rating is NOT a reflection of the quality of the location or attraction, nor a review of our visit. It is rather a subjective evaluation of the level of historic interest of that location or attraction. We only assign a rating to a location or attraction if we or our approved associates have personally visited and reported on the location or attraction for the website.


Philippines Airlines A319 climbing out of Iloilo en route to Manila


Aerial view of the Iloilo Airport


New entrance for the Sta Barbara Heights Development just off the Airport Parkway


Approach to the airport from Santa Barbara in the Southwest


On Friday, October 24th, our neighbour and brother-in-law Architect Rommel C. Legaspi, started his journey to Hong Kong to take up his new position with a very large Australian contractor with several major projects in the Hong Kong region. His first stop was in Manila for the mandatory Department of Foreign Affairs mandatory indoctrination for ‘overseas workers’ on Saturday morning.

The fact that Rommel has worked for several years in Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong means nothing – he is treated the same way as a young 19 year old travelling overseas for the first time. Oh well! Philippines!

The Cebu Pacific flight to Hong Kong which was to leave Manila at 8:00AM on Sunday morning actually got off the ground only two hours late, apparently that’s normal with Cebu Pacific’s International Services. On arrival in HK he was met by his new employer to be briefly oriented and settled-in; so that he could be on the job later in the week.


We had decided while we were at the airport to spend some time to photograph the place for use on the website. Something we had been planning to do for a few months but only when the opportunity arose.

If you’ve never been to the Philippines, then you’re in for a really big surprise when you arrive by air. Airports are a completely different ‘animal’ than anything you have ever experienced before coming and surely you will never see anything like them again, as long as you live.

How different can it be? Well, remember the surveys that are carried out each year for an organization calling itself “Sleeping in Airports” which ranks the big international airports of the world.

The Philippines’ main gateway to the world is Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila (Yes, it is named after the President’s dad who was tragically assassinated on arrival from his self-imposed exile near the end of the Marcos Dictatorship) has the distinction of winning the last place in the survey for each of the past several years. Dead Last (pardon the pun) and the worst airport on the planet. Airports in the provinces are normally not much better, in fact, in most circumstances they are worse.


On the outbound trip, the only thing that happens in–doors here is check-in and the final security check. Everything else with respect to your travels takes place outside, oh you’re under a roof but that’s it – there is very little or no space for you to sit with your family and visit with them for a while before your departure.


The only restaurants are normally of the local fast food variety, if you’re real lucky there’ll be a Jolibee or MacD’s but only if you’re lucky. No place to have a great leisurely cup of coffee while you visit with loved ones before departure. And, if it rains, well, you’re getting wet…what else do you expect?


Arrivals are not much better. If you’re waiting for your loved one to return, you wait outside the arrival baggage claim hall. The problem here is that the security guards, just like the one in the photo above roust you from under the cover of the roof in what is supposedly the waiting area and make you wait ‘outside’. So that the area is free for arriving passengers. Huh?

The Security Officer in the photo above was in fact rushing to stop me from taking pictures while I was waiting for Rommel to finish checking-in and to come back out to spend sometime with his wife and child before leaving for the year. Turns out you’re not allowed to take pictures at the airport without the permission of the Civil Aviation Association of the Philippines (CAAP).

So I head off with SWMbO to the other end of the airport to the CAAP offices to get permission. I spent almost an hour there, having to write them a letter of request and waiting for some faceless, nameless functionary to approve my request. As I said, almost an hour later the Secretary comes back and says that it’s OK for me to take those pictures that I want. [Truth be told I had actually taken most of the photos I needed, before I got interrupted.] OK, great, thanks, where’s the permit? Oh, no permit, sir, I will have one of the guards accompany you. Turns out I can only photograph the exterior of the building, no interior shots, so what’s the point of requiring authorizations to photograph the place? I ended up taking only three or four more pictures and that was that. A complete waste of time and human resources as far as I’m concerned.


Philippines Airlines A 320 on taking off in Hong Kong en route for Manila


As I said, arrivals are no better. And worse still there is absolutely no where to sit if you’re waiting for an extended period of time. When people finally come out of the baggage claim area they are mobbed. No it’s not what you think. They’re NOT mobbed BY THEIR LOVED ONES, remember they’re not allowed in the immediate arrivals area.

They’re mobbed by hawkers and shills for the various taxi and van companies that service the airport. They’re trying to get you into one of their cars, they are so annoying, unprofessional and unseemly that they should be removed from the arrival area completely.

On top of all that, they seem completely incapable of accepting 3 simple words: “NO, THANK YOU!”. Taxis and vans from the airport should be dispatched on a first in first out basis. Period and get rid of the hawkers and shills. Let the passengers’ loved ones wait where the hawkers and shills have their desks or stands set up.


Back to the original story. So, long story short, CAAP approves my application to take pictures on the airport grounds. And I’m able to take a series of pictures that should give you a pretty good idea of what our Iloilo International Airport looks like.


Iloilo International Airport


The Departures “Hall” at Iloilo International Airport


SWMbO, Angel & her mom Remia Rommel, Angel & Remia saying ‘Goodbye’


The Arrivals “Hall” at Iloilo International Airport


Cebu Pacific A320 being ‘pushed back’ from the gate with a private plane, parked and waiting for its passengers.


Iloilo International Airport Terminal viewed from the East


Mountain Views across the Airport property to the Northeast


The Control Tower, to the East of the Main Terminal Building


Cebu Pacific flight on take-off roll at Iloilo International


Iloilo International Airport Terminal from the West


A panoramic view across the in-field at Iloilo International Airport


Sadly, we’ve dropped Rommel off & we’re on the way home.


with special thanks to:

She Who Must be Obeyed, my spouse, facilitator and translator.

Management and Staff at the CAAP office for allowing us to photograph on the airport grounds.

iloilo 'international' airport

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