Padada Airstrip

The closure was primarily due to economic and operational changes in the agricultural sector. As a private airstrip, its existence was tied to the needs of the surrounding plantations, likely for aerial crop dusting. The cessation of operations was most likely caused by a combination of factors: a shift from aerial to ground-based crop spraying due to cost, environmental concerns, or changes in pest management technology; the consolidation of aviation operations to fewer, larger airstrips; or a change in ownership or policy of the plantation it served.

The airstrip is completely defunct and abandoned. Satellite imagery confirms that the former runway is heavily overgrown with grass and vegetation. While its outline is still faintly visible, it is no longer suitable for any aviation activity. The land appears to be used as a simple access road for farm vehicles servicing the surrounding banana plantations, and the area is slowly being reclaimed by the agricultural land around it. There are no remaining airport infrastructure, such as hangars or service buildings.

Padada Airstrip was a private, unpaved agricultural airfield. Its significance was purely functional, serving as a vital operational base for crop duster aircraft, such as the Cessna Ag-Wagon or Thrush Commander. These planes conducted aerial spraying (application of fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides) on the vast banana plantations in the municipalities of Hagonoy and Padada in Davao del Sur. It was part of a larger network of similar small, private airstrips across Mindanao that supported the Philippines' large-scale fruit export industry. It never handled commercial passenger or cargo traffic.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Padada Airstrip. The original purpose for its existence—localized aerial spraying—is largely obsolete due to modern agricultural practices. Re-establishing the airstrip would require significant investment to clear, regrade, and certify the runway, with no apparent economic or logistical demand for its use. Its reopening is considered highly improbable.