 The airport was formally opened on June 13 with the arrival of the presidential aircraft at the new airport at around 9 : 50 am PST , with Governor Tupas leading provincial and city officials in welcoming the President to the new facility . The inauguration of the new airport also included figures such as Japanese ambassador Ryuchiro Yamazaki and Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza , who assisted the President in leading the inaugural rites . The facility itself was formally commissioned at 5 : 00 am PST on June 14 , coinciding with the simultaneous decommissioning of Mandurriao Airport . The first commercial flight to land at the new airport was Air Philippines Flight 987 , a Boeing 737 @-@ 200 that departed from Ninoy Aquino International Airport ( Manila ) and landed at 6 : 05 am PST the same day . 
