How to get to Iloilo

Going to Iloilo? Have no fear because the city is accessible with any mode of transportation. Here are the traveling options when going to Iloilo.

How to get to Iloilo By Air

Iloilo International Airport serves the general area of Iloilo City as well as the regional heart of Western Visayas. It was inaugurated in June 2007 as a replacement for Mandurriao Airport, which had served tourists and residents alike for almost 70 years.

Iloilo International Airport (IIA) acquired the old facility’s IATA and ICAO airport codes as well as its distinction as the fourth busiest airport in the country.

The Air Transportation Office (ATO), the main agency of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) tasked with overseeing the operations of all airports in the country, has designated it as a secondary international airport.
Iloilo International Airport (IIA) is recognized as the pioneer international airport established in Western Visayas as well as in Panay Island. Along with Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the Bacolod-Silay City International Airport, the IIA are the three international airports in the island of Visayas.

Located at Tomas Confesor Highway, Iloilo International Airport can be reachable from all parts of the province and Panay through different land-based modes of transportation. Its nearness to the Panay Railways network is likely to connect it to the remaining islands of Panay via railroads.

A train connecting Iloilo International Airport to the city proper, resembling Hong Kong’s Airport Express, has been suggested. Since then, the government of Iloilo City has commissioned a study to determine whether a train service is indeed feasible.

Aside from that, the revival of the Panay Railways network was suggested to establish a rail connection between the airport and city.

The airport complex is connected by a secondary access road which branches from the main road towards the airport. Iloilo International Airport is linked to the city proper through Tomas Confesor Highway. A bypass road, the Bangga Gama in Santa Barbara, which connects to a 3-kilometer 30 meter wide access road connecting the highway to the airport. Due to its width, the highway can accommodate up to four lanes of traffic. Travel from the airport to the city proper is estimated at half an hour.

Public transportation

Although public transport routes to and from the Iloilo International Airport is still under study, transport services franchises going to the airport have not yet been issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

However, there are transport operators that are keen in initiating shuttle services to the airport from Iloilo City, while there are other proposals for direct routes for public transports from Iloilo City to the Iloilo International Airport.

At the moment, there is a shuttle service from Iloilo City to the airport which picks up and drops off passengers at SM City Iloilo and Jaro Plaza. Likewise, there is a taxi service from the city proper to Iloilo International Airport. On the average, the cost of the fare from Jaro Plaza to the airport is P163 pesos.

However, there is an existing petition from taxi operators with the LTFRB to increase the fare by 150 pesos, which was opposed by Governor Tupas for the reason that it would make the taxi fare going to the airport the most expensive from any airport route in the country and would likewise have an impact on the tourism industry.

Going to Iloilo International Airport is likewise possible by taking a jeepney to Santa Barbara and then sharing the taxi fare going to the airport. Jeepneys from Cabatuan, Janiuay, and Calinog all make their stop at Santa Barbara.

With these travel options, one can easily reach Iloilo.