Most Bisliganon who fly today take the long road to Butuan or Davao first. But the city has its own airport, and it has seen scheduled commercial flights more than once.
The basics
Bislig Airport carries the codes BPH (IATA) and RPMF (ICAO). It is operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which classifies it as a community airport. Aviation reference data compiled from the US Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File (DAFIF) lists a single asphalt runway, 05/23, about 1,200 meters long. That is long enough for turboprop aircraft such as the ATR 72, but not for the jets used on most trunk routes.
Philippine Airlines, 1981
Bislig was once on the map of the national flag carrier. Philippine Airlines' 1981 domestic network, republished by the aviation trade site Routes Online, included Bislig among PAL's Mindanao destinations. That was the era when the Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines (PICOP) ran its massive pulp and paper complex in the city.
Wikipedia's list of Philippine Airlines destinations now marks Bislig as "terminated." Bislig Today has not found a reliable public record of the exact year PAL's Bislig service ended.
Leading Edge, 2019 and 2024
The next commercial operator was Leading Edge Air Services Corporation. According to the travel site Discover the Philippines, Leading Edge opened a Bislig to Cebu route in October 2019 that ran until January 2020.
The route came back in 2024. In an August 2024 news brief, MindaNews reported that Bislig City Airport would "resume direct flights to Cebu" starting September 20.
The inaugural flight landed on September 20, 2024, according to Aviation Updates Philippines. Based on that report:
- Aircraft: ATR 72-500
- Schedule: twice a week, Fridays and Sundays
- Times: Cebu departure at 6:00 a.m., arriving Bislig at 7:17 a.m.; Bislig departure at 8:00 a.m., arriving Cebu at 9:47 a.m.
- Fares: P4,800 one way, with a promotional fare of P3,500 until October 27, 2024
Mayor Florencio C. Garay, city councilors, Bislig Airport officer-in-charge Lendon Dean D. Nacario, and CAAP officials were on hand for the launch.
Bislig Today could not confirm whether the Cebu route is still operating as of October 2026. Travelers should check directly with the airline before planning a trip.
Looking to Borongan, and back to PAL
About a month after the 2024 launch, two Bislig City officials flew to Borongan City in Eastern Samar on October 18, 2024 to study how that city runs its Philippine Airlines flights, the Philippine News Agency reported. Borongan's city information chief, Rupert Ambil, said the visit was part of Bislig's effort to improve accessibility and connectivity. Borongan had built its own departure terminal with city funds and donated it to CAAP, and runs a small local ticketing office for PAL flights.
The idea has not gone away. The city government's 2026 concept note for a proposed 75-hectare Bislig economic zone says the administration has started talking with Philippine Airlines about reviving commercial flights to Bislig, which the note calls a major requirement for attracting investors to the zone.
A note on the 2023 earthquake
When the magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off Hinatuan in December 2023, CAAP reported minor damage at Bislig Airport, along with airports in Butuan, Surigao, Siargao (Sayak) and Tandag.
So the runway has seen the flag carrier, a regional turboprop operator twice, and a city still trying to bring scheduled flights back for good.
Sources: Wikipedia entries on Bislig Airport and Philippine Airlines destinations, citing DAFIF data and Routes Online's "1981: Philippine Airlines' network"; Discover the Philippines; MindaNews news brief (August 20, 2024); Aviation Updates Philippines (September 24, 2024); Philippine News Agency report on Bislig and Borongan (October 2024); City Government of Bislig economic zone concept note (2026).