Polomolok (Dole Cannery) Airstrip

The primary reason for closure was economic and operational redundancy. The opening of the General Santos International Airport (GES/RPMR) in 1996, located just 25 kilometers away, offered far superior, all-weather facilities and a longer runway capable of handling larger aircraft. This made the private Dole airstrip obsolete and no longer cost-effective for Dole Philippines to maintain, especially for its executive transport needs.

The airstrip is permanently closed and has been fully decommissioned. The land where the runway and support facilities once stood has been reclaimed and reintegrated into the Dole pineapple plantation. Current satellite imagery shows the area is now used for agricultural cultivation, with no visible traces of the runway or aviation infrastructure remaining.

The Polomolok Airstrip was a private airfield owned and operated by Dole Philippines, Inc. (Dolefil) to support its massive pineapple plantation and cannery, one of the largest in the world. Its significance was purely logistical and corporate. The airstrip primarily handled two types of operations:
1. **Executive Transport:** It allowed company executives, clients, and VIPs to fly directly to the Polomolok facility using corporate aircraft (small jets and turboprops), bypassing commercial airports.
2. **Agricultural Aviation:** It served as a critical base for a fleet of agricultural aircraft used for crop dusting, fertilization, and pest control over the thousands of hectares of pineapple fields.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airstrip. The proximity and excellent service of the General Santos International Airport negate any need for a private airstrip in Polomolok. The land is more valuable to Dole Philippines for its primary purpose of growing pineapples.