US agency to fund study for Sangley int’l airport

A US government agency is stepping into the long-delayed Sangley Point International Airport project, announcing on Tuesday that it would fund feasibility studies for the proposed gateway, which would be built on a former American naval base in Cavite.

In a statement, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) said it would bankroll technical studies for the controversial airport project, which had faced years of delays due to changing consortiums.

Cavitex Holdings Inc., now the project developer, tapped California-based The S-A-P Group to conduct the study.

According to the USTDA, the feasibility work will include air traffic demand forecasts, financial analysis and recommendations for advanced aviation security systems needed to support future direct flights to US aviation hubs.

The agency said the study would also promote the use of American technologies and services, including airport screening systems, telecommunications infrastructure, security equipment and construction components.

“The high volume of direct international travel between the United States and the Philippines reflects the steadfast friendship of our two countries, and we share a desire to see passenger traffic flourish safely and efficiently,” said USTDA Deputy Director Thomas Hardy.

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USTDA said the project also forms part of the broader Luzon Economic Corridor initiative, the partnership launched in 2024 by the Philippines, the US and Japan to strengthen connectivity across the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas growth corridor.

Sangley has long been pitched as a complementary gateway to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), which handled 52.02 million passengers in 2025.