San Vicente Airport is an airport in San Vicente, Palawan, Philippines. The airport was opened for general aviation flights on 22 June 2017, and opened for commercial flights by the end of 2017. The airport was built to boost tourism in the town and as an alternative to much smaller El Nido Airport. Travel to this part of northwest Palawan usually takes three hours by land from the provincial capital, Puerto Princesa, located 186 kilometers away. With the airport in operation, travel between Puerto Princesa and San Vicente has been reduced to less than 30 minutes.
History
Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced in 2006 that an airport would be built in San Vicente, Palawan to "jump-start tourism development" in the town. Airport construction began in 2009. A 62.7-million airport development project was initiated in 2012; this project was to include the construction of a passenger terminal, a fire station building and an elevated 2,500-gallon water tank; and runway extension with slope protection and hill obstruction removal. and was supposed to be completed by March 2014 but delayed by an issue with a nearby private property owner. By February 2017, the airport is already accommodating chartered and private flights. The removal of a hill obstructing the west end of the runway was completed by March 2017 using funds from the Department of Tourism's Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority amounting to 236 million. The completion of San Vicente Airport was followed by potential investors looking to develop the designated "San Vicente Tourism Economic Zone". The local government at that time already had plans to develop its white beach along Imuruan Bay as the "next Boracay". The airport was officially opened for general aviation flights at 8:00 am PST on 22 June 2017. On 1 August 2017, while the airport was still in its final stages of construction, Air Juan operated a charter flight carrying passengers from Puerto Princesa International Airport. It was inaugurated on May 10, 2018 by officials from the Department of Transportation, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the provincial government of Palawan.
Facilities
The airport features a passenger terminal, a fire station building and an elevated water tank facility. Its concrete runway measures long and wide. The terminal can accommodate 100 people. Although the current runway can handle aircraft as large as the A220-100, the airport can safely accommodate aircraft like ATR 42, ATR 72, Bombardier Q400 and the British Aerospace 146. A future runway extension of will enable the airport to handle larger aircraft as large as the Airbus 320. Commercial operations are expected to commence in the last quarter of 2017 following the construction of the air control tower and the installation of other navigational facilities. As of 1 August 2017 the completion of the airport's navigational facilities, parking area, runway expansion, drainage system and one underground power line is still pending. The Runway orientation is 04/22.
