Subic Bay International Airport in the Philippines wants Emirates to see it as an option for an alternative hub in Asia, according to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma was at the 2020 World Expo in Dubai and met with Emirates senior VP for far east commercial operations Orhan Abbas to discuss plans of developing the Subic Bay International Airport into an alternative hub for the airline’s fleet in the Asia Pacific region, according to local media. 

Emirates currently does not fly to Subic Bay, according to its website. 

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image source: SBMA Facebook Page

Eisma also reportedly said that Emirates plans to increase commercial flights from Dubai to the Philippines in the near future. 

Subic Bay, which is located roughly 80 kilometers north of the Philippines’ capital Manila, operated as a US Naval Air Facility from 1950 to 1992. 

In 1994, Subic Bay airport’s runway and taxiway was reconstructed to convert the terminal from military use to a commercial international airport. 

FedEx used the airport as one of its operation hubs in Southeast Asia from 1995 to 2009.