Zamboanga International Airport is the main airport serving Zamboanga City and nearby provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
It is Mindanao’s third-busiest airport, offering domestic flights with ongoing plans for major international and terminal expansions.
Zamboanga International Airport is located in Barangay Canelar, approximately 2 km northwest of downtown Zamboanga City.
The airport covers a 270-hectare site and is classified as an international airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, even though current scheduled flights are primarily domestic.
The airport operates 24 hours a day and can accommodate jets like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, with plans to extend the runway from 2,610 meters to 3,000 meters to handle larger aircraft.
The airport shares its runway with the Edwin Andrews Air Base, used for military operations.
The airport originally started as Moret Field, an American airfield built in 1945 that replaced an earlier Japanese airfield. It was initially used extensively by the United States Marine Corps during post-war operations in Mindanao.
Over time, the airport expanded its facilities and briefly serviced international destinations, including Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, and Tarakan in Indonesia.
The airport currently has one terminal with a pre-departure and arrival capacity for approximately 750 passengers. Facilities include:
- Metal detectors, X-ray machines, and 2 baggage carousels
- An apron capable of simultaneously handling 4 narrow-body aircraft
- A modern control tower and fire station with 2 firetrucks
- Parking for up to 110 vehicles
- Free WiFi and money exchange counters
The terminal lacks lounges, sleeping pods, showers, and duty-free shops, and concession options are limited.