Villamor Air Base - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Villamor Airbase) Airbase of the Philippine Air Force For the civilian use of this facility, see Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Villamor Air Base
Pasay City, Philippines
The Airbase in 2013
Coordinates	14°30′31″N 121°01′10″E / 14.50861°N 121.01944°E / 14.50861; 121.01944
Type	Airbase
Site information
Owner	Philippines
Controlled by	Philippine Air Force
Condition	Active, as of 2016
Site history
Built	1919
Built by	United States
In use	1919–present
Battles/wars	World War II
Events	Philippines campaign (1941–42) Philippines campaign (1944–45)

Villamor Air Base

IATA: MNL
ICAO: RPLL

Summary

Airport type

Public/Military

Operator

Philippine Air Force

Serves

Manila

Elevation AMSL

23 m / 75 ft

Coordinates

14°30′31″N 121°01′10″E / 14.50861°N 121.01944°E / 14.50861; 121.01944

Website

www.paf.mil.ph

Map

Villamor Air BaseLocation in the Philippines

Runways

Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	m	ft	Surface
06/24	3,737	12,260	Asphalt
13/31	2,367	7,766	Asphalt

Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, known simply as Villamor Air Base (IATA: MNL, ICAO: RPLL), is the headquarters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and shares runways with Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). It was formerly known as Nichols Field or Nichols Air Base. Chiefly used as a PAF transport/helicopter airbase, the Maharlika Hall located at the base is used by the president of the Philippines when departing for foreign or domestic trips. Also, foreign dignitaries visiting Manila would usually arrive at the air base.

The base is named after Filipino World War II pilot Jesús A. Villamor.

History

The air base was built as Nichols Field in 1919 by the United States during the insular government era and in 1941, was used as an airfield by the United States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific Theatre. The field was the location of the U.S. Far East Air Force's U.S. 20th Air Base Group. Also, based at the field was Troop F of the U.S. 26th Cavalry Regiment.

A Fifth Air Force base, Nichols Field was within the territory of Imperial Japan during their occupation of the Philippines from December 1941 to January 1945.

Nichols Air Base

Designated Nichols Air Base after Philippine independence, in 1997, the base was reduced to make way for construction of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and Newport City.

In 2010, the AVSECOM van (called by some as "Ninoy Aquino's death van") which had carried the body of Ninoy Aquino to the hospital after his assassination in 1983 was found rotting inside Nichols Air Base (now called Villamor Airbase). This was reported only two years later by ABS-CBN News. Photos of this "death van" were subsequently posted on the blog site of the Filipino investigative journalist, Raissa Robles, who reported the discovery.

Gallery

Villamor Air Base

Two North American A-27s of the 17th Pursuit Squadron at Nichols Field in 1941.
Façade of the Philippine Air Force Aerospace Museum

References

Malasig, Jeline (November 17, 2022). "'Maharlika Hall' at Villamor Airbase to serve as president's gateway for official trips". Interaksyon. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
"Ninoy Aquino's death van". ABS CBN News. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
Robbles, Raissa. "Ninoy Aquino's death van". raissarobles.com/. Retrieved August 30, 2013.

v t e Airports in the Greater Manila Area
Commercial	Ninoy Aquino Clark Sangley Point Subic Bay
Military	Danilo Atienza Cesar Basa Clark Basilio Fernando Ernesto Rabina Jesus Villamor
General aviation	Plaridel
Historical	Bataan NAS Cubi Point Del Carmen Nichols Nielson Porac NS Sangley Point
Under construction	Bulacan

v t e Military bases of the Philippines
Army camps and forts	Emilio Aguinaldo (Quezon City) Emilio Jacinto (Santa Cruz, Laguna) Andres Bonifacio (Taguig City) Rigoberto Atienza (Quezon City) Servillano Aquino (Tarlac) Ramon Magsaysay (Nueva Ecija) Guillermo Nakar (Lucena) Fort Gregorio Del Pilar (Baguio) Edilberto Evangelista (Cagayan de Oro) Camp Lapu-Lapu (Cebu City) Sotero Cabahug (Cebu) Camp Navarro (Zamboanga City) Camp Panacan (Davao City) Camp Gen. Mateo Capinpin (Tanay, Rizal) Camp Major Cesar L. Sang-an (Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur) Camp Gen. Macario G. Peralta Jr. (Jamindan, Capiz) Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz (Gamu, Isabela) Camp BGen. Gonzalo H. Siongco (Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao) Camp Vicente Lukban (Catbalogan City, Samar) Camp Vicente Lim (Calamba, Laguna) Camp Elias Angeles (Pili, Camarines Sur) Camp O'Donnell (Capas, Tarlac) Camp Natividad (Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon) Camp Tito Abat (Manaoag, Pangasinan) Camp Gen. Mariano Riego de Dios (Tanza, Cavite) Camp Iranun (Maguindanao) Camp Gen. Manuel T. Yan (Mawab, Davao de Oro)
Air Force bases	Jesus Villamor (Pasay) Danilo Atienza (Cavite) Cesar Basa (Pampanga) Basilio Fernando (Batangas) Antonio Bautista (Palawan) Benito Ebuen (Cebu) Edwin Andrews (Zamboanga City) Lumbia Air Base (Cagayan de Oro) Rajah Buayan (General Santos) Clark (Angeles City)
Naval bases and stations	Naval Base Heracleo Alano (Naval Base Cavite) Naval Base Camilo Osias (Naval Operating Base San Vicente) Naval Base Rafael Ramos (Naval Operating Base Mactan) NS Juan Magluyan (Naval Operating Base Batu-Batu) NS Leovigildo Gantioqui (NS San Miguel) Naval Station Ernesto Ogbinar NS Julhasan A Arasain (NS Legaspi) NS Narciso Del Rosario (NS Balabac) NS Apolinario Jalandoon (NS Puerto Princesa) NS Emilio Liwanag (NS Pag-asa) NS Carlito Cunanan (NS Ulugan) NS Alfonso Palencia (NS Guimaras) NS Dioscoro Papa (NS Tacloban) NS Felix Apolinario (NS Davao) NS Romulo Espaldon (NS Zamboanga) NS Jose Francisco (Bonifacio NS) NS Jose Andrada (Fort San Antonio Abad) NS Pascual Ledesma (Fort San Felipe)
Marine barracks	Rudiardo Brown Marine Barracks (Marine Base Manila) Gregorio Lim Marine Barracks (Marine Base Ternate) Arturo Asuncion Marine Barracks (Zamboanga City) Domingo Deluana Marine Barracks (Marine Base Tawi-Tawi)

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