Magallanes Airstrip

The closure was primarily due to economic and logistical redundancy. The airstrip was rendered obsolete by the proximity and continued development of the much larger and better-equipped Butuan Airport (Bancasi Airport - ICAO: RPME, IATA: BXO), which is located only about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away. Butuan Airport could handle larger commercial aircraft and offered comprehensive passenger and cargo services, eliminating the need for a smaller, secondary airstrip in Magallanes. Additionally, improvements in road infrastructure in the Agusan del Norte province made ground transportation more efficient.

The physical runway, made of asphalt, still exists and is clearly visible from satellite imagery. However, it is no longer used for any aviation purposes. The site has been repurposed by the local community. It now functions as a de facto public space, used as a local road, a jogging and walking path, a recreational area for children, and sometimes for community events or for drying agricultural products like palay (rice grains). The area around the former airstrip has seen residential development, further integrating it into the urban landscape of Magallanes.

Magallanes Airstrip was never a major commercial airport for scheduled passenger flights. Its primary role was as a private/corporate airfield. It was heavily utilized during the mid-to-late 20th century by the logging and wood-processing industries, which were major economic drivers in the region at the time. The airstrip facilitated general aviation, allowing for the rapid transport of company executives, technical personnel, high-value spare parts, and documents to and from the remote industrial sites. It played a crucial role in the logistics of these corporations before the local road network was fully developed.

There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening the Magallanes Airstrip. The reasons for its original closure remain valid: the superior facilities at the nearby Butuan Airport, the well-established road network, and the lack of any commercial or industrial demand that would justify the significant cost of rehabilitating and recertifying the airstrip for aviation use. Furthermore, the encroachment of residential and community activities on the site would make re-establishing the necessary safety and security perimeters for aviation operations both difficult and costly.