[3] The year 1981 saw the arrival of Pope John Paul II to the province of Iloilo as one of his stops during his 1981 Philippines visit, with the airport being used to facilitate his landing.

[5] However, the terminal's architecture, which took advantage of natural ventilation, had posed problems for passengers, causing six to twenty-three air-conditioning units to be installed.

Passenger complaints also focused on having their baggage manually checked due to the updated machines being for the sole use of Philippine Airlines.

After delays, Megaworld acquired the site for Php 1.2 billion (roughly $2.5 million) to be developed into a mixed-use residential and commercial complex, now known as the Iloilo Business Park.

Iloilo Convention Center, which occupies the former site of the airport's passenger terminal (demolished between 2012 and 2013), played host to the APEC Finance meetings in 2015.