Exterior of Godofredo P. Ramos Airport
Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, also known as Caticlan Airport and recently, Boracay Airport by its developer Transaire, is an airport serving the general area of the town of Malay, located in the province of Aklan in the Philippines. It is one of the two gateways to Boracay, one of the Philippines' best-known tourist destinations. The airport is classified as a Class 2 Principal airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
The airport is the seventh busiest airport in the Philippines and the third-busiest in the Western Visayas region, serving 761,961 passengers in 2008. It is also a hub for South East Asian Airlines, with SEAIR serving the most destinations out of and having the most flights to and from Malay.
Since November 8, 2002, the airport has been named after the late Godofredo P. Ramos, a former member of Congress and a native of Malay. However, the name Caticlan Airport takes its name from its location on Barangay Caticlan in the same town.
Future development
The National Economic and Development Authority has approved the expansion of Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, which will be undertaken by a private company called the Caticlan International Airport and Development Corporation. The P2.5-billion expansion of the airport entails two stages: the construction of a new passenger terminal in the first stage, costing some P2.1 billion, and the extension of the existing runway to 2,100 meters as well as upgrading airport equipment and the existing apron, costing some P360 million.
Solicited as a Build-Operate-Transfer project and financed by a 70-30 mixture of bank loan and private sector equity, around 25 percent of the allocated funds would be used to clear a mountain near the airport's proximity, while an additional 18 percent would be allocated for land reclamation to accommodate an extended runway.
The upgrading works would enable the airport not only to support jet aircraft but also to serve international destinations. Barring any hitches, both phases of the expansion would be complete by as early as 2011. Other estimates place it between 2012 and 2014.
Recent Incidents
On 19 July 2005, Interisland Airlines aircraft RP-C2803, an arriving Yakovlev 40A aircraft touched down short of runway 06. A tire burst as it struck the raised lip of the runway. When removing the airplane from the runway the undercarriage collapsed, causing substantial damage to the aircraft. The aircraft was occupied by 3 crew and 20 passengers. There were no fatalities.
On 2 November 2006, Interisland Airlines aircraft RP-C2695, a Yakovlev 40A aircraft, arrived to pick up a group of tourists. On landing at runway 06, the left main gear tire burst. The aircraft started to swerve to the left, towards the apron were a DHC-7 had just started engines. The crew avoided collision with the DHC-7. After passing the apron, the Yak-40 drifted sideways entering the grass on the left side of the runway. Because of lateral forces, the right main gear collapsed. The aircraft came to rest on the edge of the runway. After three hours the airplane was towed off the runway into the grass. On arrival, the aircraft had no passengers. There were no fatalities.
On 11 January 2009, Zest Airways Flight 865, a Xian MA60 with 22 passengers three crew aboard, undershot runway 06 when it landed, swerved sharply to the left when it touched the runway after the initial impact and hit a concrete barrier seriously damaging its nose. The plane's landing gears and propellers also suffered major damage. Three people were injured. There were no fatalities.
On June 25, 2009, Zest Airways Flight 863, a Xian MA60 with 54 passengers and five crew aboard, overshot the runway when it landed at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport. The said aircraft totally lost its braking capability causing it to overshoot Runway 24. There were no injuries.