Authorities promote Clark for international flights

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines- Amid statistics that some 22 percent of folk from Northern and Central Luzon are not aware of the airport here, the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC)has vowed to further push its promotion campaign covering all four regions north of Metro Manila.

CIAC recently finished the second leg of its promotional “road show” in Pangasinan, Laoag and Vigan in Ilocos Norte, and is eyeing other areas north.

Newly appointed ClAC president and chief exercutive officer Emigdio Tanjuatco III said more road shows are slated in other provinces “to make people aware that they can their international flights at Clark instead of traveling farther to traffic-clogged Metro Manila for NAIA flights.”

CIAC has eyed passengers from Regions 1, 2, 3, and the Cordillera Administrative Region which it refers to as Clark’s “catchment area”, as against Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s (NAIA) catchment area convering the National Capital Region (NCR) and Regions 4 and 5.

“Clark International Airport is more convenient for folk in Central and Northern Luzon not just because it is nearer and spares them from the traffic of Metro Manila, but also because our facilities here are already at par,” Tanjuatco said.

Tanjuatco said the new passenger terminal building is equipped with 34 check-in counters and 24 immigration counters “for seamless travel.” The new facility can handle at least five million passengers annually.

The recent road show in Pangasinan, Laoag and Vigan was led by CIAC vice-president for airport operations Reynaldo Catacutan and vice president for business development group Darwin Cunanan. Cebu Pacific Air raffled a free round trip plane ticket to Macau via Clark Airport while Asiana Airlines raffled off assorted prizes during the promotional visit.

Tanjuatco said CIAC spent P417 million for the construction of the new terminal building. Clark airport is hosts to carriers such as Qatar Airways, Asiana Airlines, Dragonair, Cebu Pacific Air, Air Asia Berhad, Jin Air, Seair-I, and Tiger Airways.

A recent survey conducted by CIAC indicated that some 22 percent of Central Luzon and Northern Luzon folk who flew to international and domestic destinations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from January to May this year were not even aware of flights at the Clark airport.