| Villamor Air Base | |
|---|---|
| Pasay City,Philippines | |
 The Airbase in 2013 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Airbase |
| Owner |  Philippines |
| Controlled by | Philippine Air Force |
| Condition | Active, as of 2016 |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 14°30′31″N121°01′10″E / 14.50861°N 121.01944°E /14.50861; 121.01944 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1919 |
| Built by |  United States |
| In use | 1919–present |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Events | |
Villamor Air Base | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Philippine Air Force | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Manila | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 23 m / 75 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 14°30′31″N121°01′10″E / 14.50861°N 121.01944°E /14.50861; 121.01944 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
.svg)  Villamor Air Base Location in the Philippines | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, known simply asVillamor Air Base (IATA:MNL,ICAO:RPLL), is the headquarters of thePhilippine Air Force (PAF) and sharesrunways withNinoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). It was formerly known asNichols Field orNichols Air Base. Chiefly used as a PAF transport/helicopterairbase, the Maharlika Hall located at the base is used by thepresident of the Philippines when departing for foreign or domestic trips.[1] Also, foreign dignitaries visiting Manila would usually arrive at the air base.
The base is named after FilipinoWorld War II pilotJesús A. Villamor.
The air base was built asNichols Field in 1919 by the United States during theinsular government era and in 1941, was used as an airfield by theUnited States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific Theatre. The field was the location of theU.S. Far East Air Force'sU.S. 20th Air Base Group. Also, based at the field was Troop F of theU.S. 26th Cavalry Regiment.
AFifth Air Force base, Nichols Field was within the territory ofImperial Japan duringtheir occupation of the Philippines from December 1941 to January 1945.
Designated Nichols Air Base after Philippine independence, in 1997, the base was reduced to make way for construction ofNinoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 andNewport City.
In 2010, theAVSECOM van (called by some as "Ninoy Aquino's death van") which had carried the body ofNinoy Aquino to the hospital after hisassassination in 1983 was found rotting inside Nichols Air Base (now called Villamor Airbase). This was reported only two years later byABS-CBN News.[2] Photos of this "death van" were subsequently posted on the blog site of the Filipino investigative journalist, Raissa Robles, who reported the discovery.[3]
