Time to Make Davao Airport Truly International{7}
Have you flown into Davao City from outside of the country? Did you go through Manila? Chances are very good that you did. Why? Because there are very few international flights that fly in and out of Davao Airport.
Francisco Bangoy International Airport is an “international” airport, as it’s official name states. There are a couple of flights that fly to and from Singapore, but as far as I know that is all there is at this point. When I’ve looked into trying to hook up with one of those, not only was the timing incredibly difficult to accommodate but the cost was also prohibitive.
The main issue to date has been the lack of an “open sky” policy within the Philippines. Airlines such as Philippine Airlines, are opposed to such a policy, as the feeling is they would be adversely affected by outside competition. Even still, from what I’ve read, an Executive Order has been signed to allow secondary airports such as Davao, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro City to start accepting selective international flights. What airlines, and when they might start, is unknown. Again, there is a lot of opposition to this EO. There have been attempts to implement open skies in previously, and they failed.
My reasons for wanting Davao to get more international flight are admittedly selfish. I REALLY dislike flying into Manila to get to Davao. Ninoy Aquino International Airport, as most of you know, is extremely busy, crowded and to to a large degree run down. It is always the least favorite part of my trip, trying to maneuver to and through the airport in Manila. Even finding the correct terminal can be an adventure, but it’s an evil that must be navigated. Flying into and out of Davao would not only save me from the stressful plight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, but also add days to my trip there.
I really like the airport in Davao. It is much smaller, as would be expected, but appears much cleaner and friendlier, too. Access is fairly easy. It’s not difficult to find your terminal there. Lines can get long, but nothing like the multiple long lines you will encounter in Manila. I can’t even remember how many different lines I need to go through in Manila, but every time I think I’m done, there is another.
I don’t know how much tourism Davao loses because of the lack of international flights. If an individual is going to meet family or friends, obviously they are going to make the neccesary connections to get to Davao. But what about business, conventions, meetings, etc., wouldn’t it be much easier just to have stay right in Manila? Why add the extra cost, travel time, and hassle of continuing on to Davao? I wonder if there has been any studies done in this regard, because it seems it could significantly impact tourism.
There are always pluses and minuses to a situation. “Careful what you wish for” could be applicable here. If Davao Airpot did suddenly start accepting more international flights, could the airport support a large increase in traffic? Would it turn into the sea of bodies seen at customs and counters at Ninoy Aquino International Airport? Not if done with foresight and planning, but that is certainly one of the detriments of increasing international traffic.
Longterm, I think that there will need to be flights to Japan, Korea, Tawain, Malaysia or similar destinations from Davao. A well thought out and carefully implemented plan is my hope.
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Aug 16, 2011 @ 05:58:09
You are definitely right sir Randy. It would be better and more convenient if there are more direct flights from outside countries to Davao Airport. Truly one can save money, effort, time, and hassle free without dropping by Manila International Airport before reaching Davao City. Hope Davao Airport would accept more international flights for the convenience of the tourists and travelers who would like to spend their time in Mindanao particularly Davao City.
Aug 16, 2011 @ 12:16:02
Davao is a growing city which has much to offer in the way of tourism. The time is right, and I think that we’ll see that it will be beneficial to all involved.
Aug 16, 2011 @ 13:10:11
Hi Randy,
I’ve been following your blog off and on for the 2 years and like the information you provide to us readers. My interest is with Samal (Babak) since I was born in Davao City and my family lived in Babak before leaving to the states when I was 8 years old. I have family who are now retired and living in Samal which will include my dad this coming year. Me and my wife of 5 years who is from Davao will also be vacationing this Oct have been following the OSP since they mentioned it late year. We are defiently in favor of the policy and can’t wait to bypass Manila in our future trips. Based on the current status of the airports and available funds I don’t see this happening for another 2-4 years (Filipino time). Keep up the good work.
Aug 16, 2011 @ 21:04:58
Hi Eddie – thanks for being a long time reader and contributing to the comments.
I wouldn’t be surprise if you are correct with that timeline. I do hope it is sooner than that, and I think much of it is up to the airlines in seeing value to the routes.
Mindanao tourism is getting a big push right now, and I think this will play a part in any successes they may see, therefor I’m hopeful that there is some action taken.
Aug 17, 2011 @ 09:49:51
Hi Randy,
I also hope it be sooner than later. After I read that P-Noy was passing the policy I was truly hoping that I would be able to fly directly into Davao this October. But then my wife reminded me that Filipino time always outweights positive progress in the Phils. It would be nice to ba able to fly in/out of Davao to other destinations e.g Macau, HK, Thailand, Singapore without having to have a long layover in Manila.
We are planning to fly to those destinations and found out we would have at least a 5-7 hour layover in Manila
Also getting excited to go home again being able to relax/play golf and not think about work.
Regards,
Eddie
Aug 17, 2011 @ 19:31:38
We’ll see what happens. I would expect that it will be small steps at first.
Doing searches I show that Cebu Pacific used to fly to HK. Maybe that wasn’t direct but it appeared to be. That seems like a natural first step, but I’d like to see connections with cities that connect with the US directly, so that would take major airline or at least one that had a partnership with a major.
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