 Prior to the construction of Iloilo International Airport , Iloilo City was served by the old Iloilo Airport in Mandurriao , Iloilo City , which had been in operation since 1937 . Though continually expanded in order to accommodate the changing demands of the city throughout much of its history , Iloilo City 's rapid urbanization had made this feat impossible by the 1990s . The 2 @,@ 202 @-@ square @-@ meter ( 23 @,@ 700 sq ft ) terminal building , constructed in 1982 to handle the passenger demands of a single airline ( Philippine Airlines , being the Philippines ' aviation monopoly at the time ) , was unable to cope with the liberalization of the Philippine aviation industry and the subsequent boom in air travel , when as many as four airlines served the airport at the same time and where the passenger terminal needed to have an area of at least 7 @,@ 800 square meters ( 84 @,@ 000 sq ft ) in order to absorb all peak @-@ hour demand . 
