Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, reiterated its commitment to Mindanao’s development during two high-profile events in Davao City in September 2025: the Davao Investment Conference (Davao ICON) 2025 and the launch of the Mindanao PPP (Public-Private Partnership) Facilitation Initiative.
During these events, AIC executives from AIC’s Water and Transport & Mobility sectors emphasized Mindanao’s critical role in driving inclusive growth through connectivity, innovation, and public-private collaboration, and as an enabler of tourism and economic activities.
Speaking to about 350 Davao ICON delegates, AIC Airports Head of Strategy and Communications Christine Villanueva remarked that connectivity remains the backbone of regional and national growth — and airports play a central role in that ecosystem.
“Connectivity builds economies. From trade routes to transport hubs, when we move better, we grow faster. Airports are not just travel terminals — they are engines of economic activity. Developing world-class regional airports will be key to unlocking Mindanao’s potential,” Villanueva said during the panel entitled during the panel discussion entitled “Building Gateways for Mindanao’s Progress: Developing World-Class Airports.”
AIC, through Aboitiz InfraCapital Laguindingan Airport Corporation, currently operates Laguindingan International Airport (LIA) in Misamis Oriental. AIC is currently undertaking the development and modernization of LIA over the short- to medium-term beginning April 2025, following the awarding of a 30-year concession agreement last October 2024.
This includes plans to incorporate necessary infrastructure, such as terminal expansion to cater to additional international connections and growing passenger traffic.
Villanueva noted that 2025 marks a pivotal year in AIC Airports’ transformation into a leading multi-airport operator in the Philippines, with its portfolio — which includes LIA, the award-winning Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), and Bohol-Panglao International Airport (BPIA) — collectively accounting for over 20% of the country’s passenger traffic.
Highlighting LIA’s strategic role, she said that AIC envisions it to become a regional gateway similar to MCIA, serving as a platform for commerce, tourism, and innovation in Mindanao.
LIA–already the country’s sixth-busiest gateway and Mindanao’s second-busiest after Davao City’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport–now caters to about 337 flights per week to some of the country’s most attractive destinations, namely Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao.
