DAVAO CITY — The Regional Development Council is studying the feasibility of building an airport in Davao Occidental to help drive growth and improve connectivity in the province.
Priscilla Sonido, regional director of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development in Davao, said the proposed airport forms part of the Davao Region Development Master Plan.
“We are pushing for connectivity. We can only address lagging areas in the region if we open it for development,” Sonido said, noting that an airport would attract more tourists and investors to Davao Occidental.
She said the plan aligns with the RDC’s push to upgrade the Mati Airport in Davao Oriental, which received a ₱700 million allocation in the 2026 national budget.
The Mati Airport project includes the construction of a modern passenger terminal, upgraded runways and taxiways, expanded parking areas, and dedicated facilities for ground service equipment and fire stations.
“It (Mati Airport) was pushed by the RDC because we want to improve tourism in that area and bring in new investments,” Sonido said.
The proposed Davao Occidental airport remains subject to further studies, Sonido said, but the RDC will continue to push the project. Planners are considering Malita, the provincial capital, as a possible site.
In 2015, the RDC proposed building another modern airport in the region aside from the Davao International Airport. Officials previously floated potential sites in Santa Maria in Davao Occidental, Panabo City, Tagum City, and the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte.
Davao Occidental currently has one private airstrip in Malita, which remains largely unused. (PIA/RGA)