Magatos Airport

The closure was primarily due to economic and logistical factors. Key reasons include:
1. **Improved Ground Transportation:** The development and improvement of the road network in Davao del Norte made land transport more efficient and cost-effective for both agricultural cargo and personnel.
2. **Consolidation of Air Services:** Air traffic in the region was consolidated at the larger, better-equipped Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao International Airport), which could handle larger aircraft and more significant passenger/cargo volumes, making small feeder airstrips like Magatos redundant.
3. **Shift in Corporate Logistics:** The agricultural companies that were the primary users of the airstrip shifted their logistical models away from reliance on private air transport towards more integrated road and sea freight solutions.

The site is no longer an airport and has no active aviation facilities. The original runway is still clearly visible from satellite imagery and on the ground. However, it has been repurposed and now functions as a local access road for farm vehicles and residents of the surrounding barangays and plantations. The land on and around the former airstrip is entirely dedicated to agriculture, primarily vast banana and palm oil plantations. There are no remaining airport buildings like a terminal or hangar.

Magatos Airport, also known locally as the Asuncion Airstrip or San Vicente Airstrip, was a vital piece of infrastructure for the booming agro-industrial sector of Davao del Norte from the mid-to-late 20th century. Its primary role was to serve the large banana plantations that dominate the region's economy. Operations were almost exclusively related to this industry and included:
- **Crop Dusting:** The airstrip was a base for small, fixed-wing aircraft used for aerial spraying of fungicides and pesticides over thousands of hectares of banana crops, a critical activity for disease control.
- **Executive Transport:** It was used by corporate jets and smaller propeller planes to transport company executives, managers, and important visitors directly to the plantations, bypassing the longer journey by road from Davao City.
- **Light Cargo:** It occasionally handled light, time-sensitive cargo and essential equipment for the plantations. It was never a commercial passenger airport.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans to reopen Magatos Airport. The economic and logistical reasons for its original closure remain valid. The Davao Region is comprehensively served by the modern and expanding Davao International Airport. The significant investment required to rebuild the runway, construct new facilities to meet current safety standards, and the lack of any commercial or private demand make its revival economically unfeasible and highly improbable.