Clark airport to double passenger capacity

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga , Philippines  – Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) is embarking on an expansion program that will double its passenger-holding capacity from 4.2 million to eight million passengers per year to be completed in at least three years.

CIAC president and CEO Alexander Cauguiran said a budget of P2.8 billion for horizontal infrastructure is available while the national government is readying this year funds for vertical and other components.

“In a minimum of three years, the new terminal with eight million passenger-capacity that is world-class, comparable to other airports in the world, perhaps not in size but in terms of infrastructure and services,” will be completed he said.

He said Clark International Airport is the only airport in the country that is ISO-certified, meaning passengers are satisfied from takeoff to touch down. 

The proposed new terminal is a kilometer away from the present airport terminal that has a capacity of 4.2 million passengers per year in the former American airbase in Angeles City. 

All major tourist destinations in the country are served by all domestic carriers with 96 flights a week while some international airlines make more than 140 flights a week, Cauguiran said.

Among the carriers operating at the Clark airport are Philippine Airlines,  Asiana Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Cathay Dragon, Air Asia Philippines, Cebu Pacific Air, Airswift Transportation and Jin Air Co.

Cauguiran said in the next few months, China Airlines will have 30 flights a week from eight cities in China and another seven from Shanghai.

With more flights coming in, he said that there is a need for immediate expansion programs, considering Clark is becoming a good choice because of the horrendous traffic in Manila and the congested NAIA. 

He said they are readying the second and final phases of the expansion program that will increase the passenger-holding capacities to 27 million and 46 million passengers, respectively.