Manila to operate in the airport. In 1997, Air Philippines (now PAL Express) commenced its daily Manila–General Santos–Manila flight using Boeing 737-200 and McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft. The first international chartered flight to land in General Santos International Airport was of former President Fidel V. Ramos' homecoming from one of his state visits abroad in the mid-1990s. Aboard PAL's Airbus A340 aircraft, the president and his party landed in General Santos International Airport directly from Bangkok. In November 2003, international flights to and from Manado, Indonesia were also briefly operational on a regular weekly frequency to this city by an Indonesian carrier Merpati Nusantara Airlines using Fokker 70 aircraft. PAL has also disclosed plans of commencing international flights to and from General Santos in the late 1990s. Cebu Pacific, the Philippines' largest low-cost carrier, commenced daily flights to and from Manila on October 2, 2006. Initially served by Airbus A319 aircraft, it has since been upgraded to the A320, A321, and A330 aircraft. With the 48-hour shutdown of Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City on June 2–3, 2013 due to an accident involving a Cebu Pacific aircraft from Manila, General Santos International Airport handled most of the diverted flights from Davao for the stranded passengers going to and coming from Manila, Cebu, Zamboanga and Kalibo cities. Bigger aircraft such as the Boeing 777 come to the airport due to tuna cargo and increase of passengers. Plans to rehabilitate and expand the airport were laid in 2015. The passenger terminal building prior to the facelift has not undergone any repairs. Upgrading works began in 2017 and were slated to be completed by 2019. After a few delays, the new airport facilities were inaugurated on September 23, 2021. Airport facilities and structures Runway General Santos International Airport has a single runway with a width of , designated as runway 17/35. Made entirely of reinforced concrete and macadam, the airport's runway is the third-longest runway in the Philippines, after Runway 06/24 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport () and Runway 04/22 of Mactan–Cebu International Airport () respectively and is capable of handling the Airbus A380. It is the first airport in Mindanao to have accommodated the landing and take off of Boeing 747 aircraft. Terminal The facade design of the airport is patterned after the fins of the yellow-fin tuna. The consideration of the existing second floor of the terminal building which is