Latud Airport

Rizal, PH 🇵🇭 Closed Airport

ICAO

PH-0596

IATA

-

Elevation

- ft

Region

PH-PLW

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 8.624722° N, 117.279444° 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 airport does not have an official, publicly recorded closure date. Analysis of historical satellite imagery indicates it was still in a usable condition around 2010 but had become significantly overgrown and unusable by 2016. This suggests a gradual abandonment and cessation of maintenance sometime in the early 2010s.

Reason for Closure

The closure was most likely due to economic and operational factors. As a private airstrip, its existence was tied to the industry it served. The likely reasons for its abandonment include:
1. **Reduced Need:** The company operating it may have shifted its transportation logistics to ground-based options as local road networks improved.
2. **High Maintenance Costs:** The cost of maintaining a runway, even an unpaved one, may have outweighed its benefits, leading to its decommissioning to cut operational expenses.
3. **Change in Corporate Operations:** A shift in the management or operational focus of the local industry (likely palm oil production) could have rendered the airstrip obsolete.
The gradual nature of its decline points away from a sudden event like an accident or government action.

Current Status

The site is currently an abandoned airstrip. The ~1.2 kilometer runway is completely overgrown with grass and other vegetation, making it unusable for any aviation activity. Its straight path is still clearly visible from satellite imagery, cutting through the surrounding palm oil plantations. The land has not been repurposed for other construction, and the former runway may be used informally by local residents as a footpath or access road.

Historical Significance

Latud Airport was a private, unpaved airstrip primarily built to support the large-scale agricultural operations in the remote municipality of Rizal, Palawan. Its main purpose was almost certainly logistical support for the vast palm oil plantations in the area, likely associated with Agumil Philippines Inc. (AGPI), which operates a major plantation and mill nearby. The airstrip would have been used for light aircraft to transport executives, key personnel, urgent supplies, and potentially for aerial surveying or crop-dusting. It was never a commercial airport and did not serve the general public with scheduled flights.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known or published plans to reopen or redevelop Latud Airport. Given its remote location, its original private-industrial purpose, and the presence of more established airports in Palawan (such as Puerto Princesa International Airport and the newer San Vicente Airport), there is no current strategic or economic incentive for its revival. Reopening would require a significant new industrial or high-end tourism development in the immediate vicinity, which is not currently foreseen.

Nearby Airports

Tagbita Airstrip
TGB • PH-0502
Rizal, PH
Small Airport
~13 km away
Taratak Airfield
PH-0568
Bataraza, PH
Closed Airport
~17 km away
Rio Tuba Airport
PH-0484
Rio Tuba, PH
Small Airport
~19 km away
Bataraza Airport
PH-0517
Bataraza, PH
Small Airport
~38 km away
Bugsuk (Bonbon) Airport
PH-0485
Balabac, PH
Small Airport
~44 km away
Sibaring Airstrip
PH-0518
Balabac, PH
Small Airport
~49 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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