ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti θɹˈiː, ðɪ ˈɛɹpoːɹt, wˈɪtʃ, æt ðə tˈaɪm, wʊd biː ðə lˈɑːɹdʒɪst ˈɛɹpoːɹt ɪn mˌɪndənˈaʊ, wʌz bˈɪlt mˈeɪnli ˌɔn ɐ fˈʌnd ɡɹˈæntᵻd baɪ ðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts ɡˈʌvɚnmənt ɐmˈaʊntɪŋ tə jˌuːˈɛs dˈɑːlɚ fˈoːɹɾi sˈɛvən.sˈɪks mˈɪliən θɹuː ɪts juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts ˈeɪdʒənsi fɔːɹ ˌɪntɚnˈæʃənəl dɪvˈɛləpmənt jˈuːzɛd.
In 1993, the airport, which, at the time, would be the largest airport in Mindanao, was built mainly on a fund granted by the United States Government amounting to US$47.6 million through its United States Agency for International Development (USAID).