the Balikatan military exercises were held in the city. The biggest aircraft to land in Zamboanga International Airport is the Russian Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan made to deliver pickup trucks for the American training mission here in Zamboanga. North American Airlines Boeing 757-200s were chartered to transport American soldiers from Guam to Zamboanga. Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs flying from Okinawa come to Zamboanga every now and then. Gemini Air Cargo's DC-10 was once in Zamboanga Airport for delivery of the materials needed for the US Air Force training. During the 2013 Zamboanga City crisis, the airport was closed to all civilian air traffic on September 9, and a no-fly zone was enforced within of the airport. On September 19, the airport reopened to civilian flights as the security situation improved. Due to its potential as a key-areas in the BIMP-EAGA zone, there are plans to reinstate its international routes. Cebgo initially planned to commence four weekly flights to Sandakan in October 2017. However, the flight was postponed due to operational issues. Flights to Kota Kinabalu operated by PAL Express De Havilland Canada Q400s were to begin on March 31, 2020, but did not push through as travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were enforced. Nevertheless, the airline is still interested in launching this service as of February 2022. On September 28, 2021, the rehabilitated and expanded passenger terminal was inaugurated. Future development There were plans in 2007 to transfer the airport to a lot located between Barangays Talabaan and Taluksangay, about from Zamboanga City. The plan was suspended due to lack of funding. However, it was supported by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the purpose of converting the current property to a business district. The airport project, at its current form, will be located on a area in barangays Mercedes and Talabaan, away from the city. Surveying works begun in April 2022, while land acquisition begun on September 16. The new airport, which would cost , would have a state-of-the-art passenger terminal building with a capacity of eight million passengers annually, six jet bridges, a control tower, and a runway. Structure Runways Zamboanga International Airport has one primary runway with a width of , designated as Runway 09/27. It is capable of supporting the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. The airport also has taxiways that measure in width. While the runway can support aircraft as big