Zablan Auxiliary Airfield

Quezon City, PH 🇵🇭 Closed Airport

ICAO

PH-0392

IATA

-

Elevation

59 ft

Region

PH-00

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 14.59795° N, 121.08115° E

Continent: AS

Type: Closed Airport

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 26, 2025
Closure Date

The airfield was gradually phased out of operation during the late 1980s and early 1990s. While no exact date is officially recorded for its final flight, its operational capacity was severely diminished by the late 1980s due to ongoing construction, and it was fully non-operational and decommissioned by the early 1990s.

Reason for Closure

The primary reason for closure was military conversion and urban encroachment. As Metro Manila, particularly Quezon City, expanded rapidly, the land occupied by the airfield became extremely valuable. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chose to redevelop the site to build its new General Headquarters, administrative buildings, officer housing, and recreational facilities. The increasing urban density and presence of taller buildings in the vicinity also made continued flight operations a significant safety risk.

Current Status

The site of the former Zablan Auxiliary Airfield has been completely redeveloped and is unrecognizable as an airfield today. The land is now used for several key purposes within Camp Aguinaldo:

- **Camp Aguinaldo Golf Course:** A large portion of the former runway and taxiways was converted into a golf course, a common practice for decommissioned urban airfields.
- **Road Network:** The main north-south road running through the camp, often referred to as Zablan Road, follows the approximate alignment of the former runway.
- **Military Buildings:** Key military structures were built directly on the former airfield grounds, including the main Armed Forces of the Philippines General Headquarters Building, the AFP Commissioned Officers' Club (AFPCOC), and various other administrative and residential facilities.

Historical Significance

Zablan Auxiliary Airfield was an integral part of Camp Aguinaldo (formerly Camp Murphy), the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Its historical significance includes:

- **Naming:** It was named after Lieutenant Colonel Porfirio E. Zablan, a distinguished Filipino aviator and a pioneer of the Philippine Army Air Corps (the precursor to the Philippine Air Force).
- **Military Operations:** It primarily served as a utility and liaison airfield for the AFP high command. Operations included transporting high-ranking military and government officials, light logistical support, and serving as a base for light aircraft (like the Cessna L-19 Bird Dog) and helicopters used for command and control.
- **Philippine Air Force (PAF) Hub:** While not a major combat airbase, it was an important administrative and operational hub for the PAF elements assigned to support the General Headquarters.
- **General Aviation:** It also handled some general aviation traffic related to military affairs.

It was never a commercial airport for public passenger transport.

Reopening Prospects

None. There are zero plans or prospects for reopening Zablan Auxiliary Airfield. The site has been completely and permanently redeveloped for military administrative, recreational, and residential purposes. The urban density of the surrounding Quezon City area, combined with the strategic importance of the structures now occupying the land (including the AFP General Headquarters), makes its reactivation as an airfield logistically impossible and strategically unfeasible.

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Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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