Baganga (Lambajon) Airport

The primary reason for closure was catastrophic damage sustained during Super Typhoon Bopha. The typhoon was one of the strongest to ever hit Mindanao and it completely devastated the town of Baganga, including the airstrip's infrastructure. In the aftermath, the land was repurposed by the government for a more urgent humanitarian need: the construction of a large-scale resettlement housing project for thousands of families who lost their homes. This permanent conversion of the land made any restoration of the airport impossible.

The airport is permanently closed and no longer exists. The site of the former runway and airport grounds has been completely redeveloped into a residential area. It is now the location of the Baganga NHA Relocation Site, a housing project built by the National Housing Authority (NHA) to shelter families displaced by Typhoon Bopha. Satellite imagery clearly shows rows of houses and community structures built directly over the footprint of the old runway.

Baganga (Lambajon) Airport was a community feeder airstrip, crucial for connecting the remote coastal town of Baganga with the rest of the country. It did not handle major commercial airline traffic but was vital for the general aviation sector. Its primary operations included:
- Servicing the region's logging and mining industries by transporting personnel, high-value spare parts, and supplies.
- Supporting agricultural activities.
- Facilitating chartered flights for private individuals, government officials, and businesses.
- Serving as a critical point for emergency medical evacuations, given Baganga's relative isolation by land due to mountainous terrain.
The airport typically handled small, propeller-driven aircraft capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) on its unpaved runway.

There are zero prospects for reopening the airport at its original location, as the land has been permanently and densely converted for residential use. However, there have been long-standing discussions and proposals by the provincial government of Davao Oriental and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to build a new, modern airport in the province to boost tourism and economic development. These plans focus on a more strategic location, likely near the provincial capital of Mati, which could better serve the entire province. As of recent years, feasibility studies are reportedly underway, but there are no concrete, funded plans to build a direct replacement airport specifically in Baganga.