Angeles Airfield

The closure was a direct result of a natural disaster followed by military withdrawal. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo covered the airfield and the surrounding base with several inches of heavy, wet volcanic ash, causing buildings to collapse and rendering runways unusable. The extensive damage, combined with the end of the Cold War and ongoing negotiations, led the United States Air Force to decide against rehabilitation and to accelerate its withdrawal from the Philippines. The land was subsequently re-purposed for civilian use.

The site of the former Angeles Airfield has been completely redeveloped and is unrecognizable as an aviation facility. The land is now occupied by the Fontana Leisure Parks & Casino, which includes a hotel, water park, golf course, and numerous residential villas (including the Clark Hills Village). The faint outline of the former runway is barely visible on satellite imagery, but it is now overlaid with roads, buildings, and landscaping. There are no remaining aviation structures or markings.

This airfield, often known informally as the 'Clark Aero Club' field, was a secondary, general aviation facility within the massive Clark Air Base complex. Its primary purpose was not for military combat or transport operations, which used the main, larger runways now part of Clark International Airport. Instead, it served as a recreational and training airfield for the Clark Aero Club. This club was a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) activity for U.S. military personnel, their families, and authorized civilians. Operations consisted almost exclusively of light, single-engine aircraft such as Cessnas and Pipers for flight training, private rentals, and recreational flying. The ICAO code 'PH-0319' is an unofficial designation, likely originating from flight simulator scenery databases, to distinguish it from the main Clark airport (RPLC).

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening this airfield. The site is now a high-value, fully developed commercial and residential zone. Its function is entirely superseded by the adjacent, large, and continuously expanding Clark International Airport (CRK/RPLC), which serves all aviation needs for the region, including general aviation. Reopening would require the demolition of billions of pesos worth of resort and residential infrastructure, making it logistically, economically, and practically impossible.