Mindanao Express

Mindanao Express
IATA ICAO Call sign
CD - -
Commenced operations
October 23, 1996 (1996-10-23)
Ceased operations
June 16, 2000 (2000-06-16)
Operating bases
General Santos International Airport
HeadquartersGeneral Santos, Philippines
Key people
  • Alberto D. Lina (Chairman)

Mindanao Express was an airline based at General Santos International Airport. Formed in 1996, the airline flew to destinations throughout Mindanao and Visayas, as well as a limited international network to Manado, Indonesia, and Sandakan, Malaysia. It was a subsidiary of Corporate Air.

President Fidel V. Ramos appointed Mindanao Express as the second Philippine flag carrier to the BIMP-EAGA. The airline's first flight was on 23 October 1996. By June 1997, the airline had already flown 4,277 passengers, and 480,267.2 pounds of cargo. After the withdrawal of Philippine Airlines' inter-island routes during 1998–1999, Mindanao Express gained 100% market share on some routes.

Operations were suspended on 16 June 2000, citing the crisis in Mindanao.

Destinations

The airline flew a route network primarily serving major cities and towns in Mindanao, and later in the Visayas. As the second flag carrier to the BIMP-EAGA, the airline also flew from Zamboanga to Sandakan, Malaysia, and General Santos City to Manado, Indonesia.

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Philippines Cagayan de Oro Lumbia Airfield
Camiguin Camiguin Airport
Cotabato Cotabato Airport
Cebu City Mactan–Cebu International Airport
Jolo Jolo Airport
Kalibo Kalibo International Airport
General Santos General Santos International Airport Hub
Zamboanga Zamboanga International Airport
Tacloban Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport
Tandag Tandag Airport
Tawi-Tawi Sanga-Sanga Airport
Indonesia Manado Sam Ratulangi International Airport
Malaysia Sandakan Sandakan Airport

Fleet

The fleet in 1997 was:

References

  1. ↑ "Investing in General Santos/SOCSKSARGEN!". Mindanao Network on the WWW. 1997. Archived from the original on 15 February 1998.
  2. ↑ Reyes, Rexie (23 October 1996). "New Feeder Airline Takes To the Skies in Philippines". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Mindanao Express flights set". Manila Standard. 26 July 1997. p. 8. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "'Mindanao Express' launching set". Manila Standard. 13 September 1996. p. 12. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Mindanao Express flying southern skies". Manila Standard. 28 December 1997. p. 22. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Mindanao Express' 5,000 passengers". Manila Standard. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  7. 1 2 Austria, Myrna (August 2001). "Competition in the Domestic Air Transport Industry: Can it be sustained without competition policy?" (PDF). PIDS Policy Notes (2001–06).
  8. ↑ "Corporate Air, Inc". Corporate Air, Inc. Archived from the original on 18 February 2003.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Mindanao Express timetable October 8, 1997". Airline Timetable Images. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  10. ↑ "Mindanao Express". Manila Standard. 10 September 1997. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  11. 1 2 "MINDANAO EXPRESS EXPANDS TO KALIBO & TACLOBAN". Mindanao Express Airlines. Archived from the original on 9 October 2000. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  12. 1 2 Del Carmen, Marti (23 April 2000). "Busy (but so charming) Zamboanga". Philippine Daily Inquirer. pp. F6.
  13. ↑ Mindanao's Beech Express

Further reading