Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, known simply as Villamor Air Base (IATA: MNL, ICAO: RPLL), is the headquarters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and shares runways with Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). It was formerly known as Nichols Field or Nichols Air Base and possibly as Nichols Freeport Zone.^{[clarification needed]} Chiefly used as a PAF transport/helicopter airbase, it is also the military installation that the president of the Philippines uses when departing for foreign or domestic trips, though foreign departures are mostly done at the Philippine Airlines–operated NAIA Terminal 2 (as PAL is the official charter airline for the president). Also, foreign dignitaries visiting Manila would usually arrive at the air base.

Villamor Air Base
Pasay, Metro Manila
522nd Logistics Group Headquarters Building
Coordinates	14°30′31″N 121°01′10″E
Type	airbase
Site information
Owner	Philippines
Controlled by	Philippine Air Force
Condition	Active, as of 2016
Site history
Built	1919
Built by	United States
In use	1919–present
Battles/wars	World War II
Events	Philippines campaign (1941–42) Philippines campaign (1944–45) 250th Presidential Airlift Wing 520th Airbase Wing 505th Search and Rescue Group 207th Tactical Operations Squadron

Villamor Air Base
IATA: MNL ICAO: RPLL
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Operator	Philippine Air Force
Serves	Manila
Elevation AMSL	23 m / 75 ft
Coordinates	14°30′31″N 121°01′10″E
Website	www.paf.mil.ph
Map
Villamor Air Base Location in the Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 06/24 3,737 12,260 Asphalt 13/31 2,367 7,766 Asphalt

The base is named after Filipino World War II pilot Jesús A. Villamor.

History

Nichols Field was built in 1919 by the United States during the insular government and in 1941 was used as an airfield by the United States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific Theatre. The field was the location of the U.S. Far East Air Force's U.S. 20th Air Base Group. Also, based at the field was Troop F of the U.S. 26th Cavalry Regiment.

A Fifth Air Force base, Nichols Field was within the territory of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, December 1941 – January 1945.

Nichols Air Base

Designated Nichols Air Base after Philippine independence, in 1997, the base was reduced to make way for construction of NAIA Terminal 3 and Newport City.

In 2007, a Skyway exit to both the air base and NAIA Terminal 3 was completed.

In 2010, the AVSECOM van (called by some as "Ninoy Aquino's death van") which had carried the body of Ninoy Aquino to the hospital after his assassination in 1983 was found rotting inside Nichols Air Base (now called Villamor Airbase). This was reported only two years later by ABS-CBN News.[1] Photos of this "death van" were subsequently posted on the blog site of the Filipino investigative journalist, Raissa Robles, who reported the discovery.[2]

Gallery

References

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