Clark in talks for N America flights

MANILA, Philippines - Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) is in talks with airlines for flights from Clark to the North American region.

“We are currently in negotiations with air carriers, particularly in connecting Clark to North America,” CIAC president and CEO Alex Cauguiran said but declined to disclose their identities.

The Clark International Airport caters to travelers coming from Regions 1 to 3 and the Camanava area (Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela), which have a combined population of around 24.2 million.

 “Clark ought to be the most logical and practical airport of choice of the people from the northern and central parts of Luzon,” Cauguiran said, citing the road congestion travelers from the North and Central Luzon would have to endure to get to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

Given the congestion at the NAIA, the government is promoting the Clark International Airport as an alternative.

In line with efforts to encourage airlines to utilize the Clark International Airport, the government is undertaking developments at the gateway such as the construction of a new passenger terminal with a capacity of eight million passengers per year.

Cauguiran said the plan is to have the new passenger terminal completed by 2019 or before President Rodrigo Duterte’s term ends.

For now, the government wants to maximize the use of the existing terminal which has an annual capacity of 4.2 million passengers.

Other projects to be implemented by the government to promote Clark include a railway system from Manila to Clark, the Subic-Clark railway, and Clark Green City.