Sanga-Sanga Airport

Sanga-Sanga Airport (IATA: TWT, ICAO: RPMN), also known as Tawi-Tawi Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Bongao, the capital of the province of Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines. The airport is classified as a Class 2 principal (minor domestic) airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. It is not an international airport, contrary to its classification by the Tawi-Tawi provincial government. It is located in Sanga-Sanga Island. The airport was formerly referred by the IATA with the code SGS until the end of 2011, when its IATA code was finally changed to TWT.

Sanga-Sanga Airport Lapagan sin Sanga-Sanga Paliparan ng Sanga-Sanga
A view of Sanga-Sanga Airport from the peak of Mount Bongao.
IATA: TWT ICAO: RPMN
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (airside and landside) Bangsamoro Airport Authority (landside[1])
Serves	Tawi-Tawi
Location	Sanga-Sanga, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines
Elevation AMSL	2 m / 7 ft
Coordinates	05°02′49″N 119°44′34″E
Map
TWT/RPMN Show map of Mindanao TWT/RPMN Show map of Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 02/20 1,860 6,102 Concrete
Statistics (2022)
Passengers 106,711 Aircraft movements 868 Metric tonnes of cargo 257,931
Statistics from the Air Transportation Office.[2]

In 2005, the runway was extended to 1,860 meters through partnerships between the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC, today the DOTr), the CAAP, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the regional government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the Tawi-Tawi provincial government. In addition, the runway has been widened to 30 meters. Along with the expansion of Jolo Airport in Sulu, the expansion of the runway was completed in August 2009.^[3]

The new runway was officially inaugurated on August 17, 2009, by US ambassador Kristie Kenney and local officials in Tawi-Tawi.^[4]

In 2015, the DOTC allotted Php248 million to jumpstart the renovation of the Sanga-Sanga Airport and additional Php10 million for the fencing requirement expenses of Cagayan de Sulu Airport in the municipality of Mapun, Tawi-Tawi. The DOTC also scheduled to release another Php577 million by January 2016 to finance the further improvement and development of the Sanga-Sanga Airport.^[5]

Airlines and destinations

Cebu Pacific operates daily flights to Tawi-Tawi from Zamboanga and vice versa, utilizing the Airbus A320 aircraft.^[6] PAL Express also operates 3x weekly flights on the same route sector, also deploying the Airbus A320 aircraft.^[7]

Airlines	Destinations
Cebgo	Zamboanga[8]
Cebu Pacific	Zamboanga[6]
PAL Express	Cotabato,[9] Zamboanga[10]
Platinum Skies	Zamboanga

See also

• List of airports in the Philippines

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

1. Jannaral, Julmunir (26 December 2022). "BARMM to run six airports in 2023". The Manila Times. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
2. Air Transportation Office. Passenger Movement CY 2001-2005 (Table). Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
3. "Airport Upgrades in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi Pick Up Pace". Mindanao Economic Development Council. May 19, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2009. ^{[permanent dead link]}
4. Garcia, Bong (August 18, 2009). "Kenney Inaugurates Upgraded Tawi-Tawi Airport Project". Sun.Star Zamboanga. Archived from the original on August 20, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
5. Lacson, Nonoy E. (November 12, 2015). "P835-M Earmarked for Tawi-Tawi Airport Upgrade". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
6. "Cebu Pacific Added More Flights for Zamboanga - Tawi-Tawi Route". My Mindanao. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
7. Arayata, Ma. Cristina (October 16, 2019). "PAL to Introduce Zamboanga-Tawi-Tawi Route Dec. 15". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
8. "Cebgo Adds Tawi-Tawi Service From August 2023". AeroRoutes. July 11, 2023.
9. Sumangil, Franz R. (23 August 2023). "Cotabato Airport on limited operation". The Manila Times. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
10. Cordero, Ted (October 15, 2019). "PAL to Open New Domestic Routes in December 2019, January 2020". GMA News Online. Retrieved September 3, 2022.

External links