CIAC budget hiked for infrastructure buildup

MANILA, Philippines —The state-owned firm managing the Clark Civil Aviation Complex is getting a 59 percent hike in its budget this year to fund the completion of priority projects.

Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) will receive P938.93 million in funding in 2025, up by more than half from last year’s P589.43 million, as the agency seeks to complete some of its infrastructure priorities.

The allocation, as approved by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, will go mostly for capital outlays at P573.79 million.

The CIAC will also be given P204.39 million for maintenance expenses and P154.76 million for personnel costs. Moreover, the agency will obtain P5.99 million for the expenditures of its board of directors.

For 2025, CIAC plans to complete and approve the detailed architectural and engineering design for its new headquarters. It also aims to finish the development of a new air traffic control tower at the Clark Civil Aviation Complex.

The CIAC is the manager of the Clark Civil Aviation Complex, an area spanning 2,367 hectares where the Clark International Airport is situated.

The airport grew its passenger traffic by a fifth to 2.4 million in 2024, propelled by the recovery of overseas travel and reinvestments made by airlines.

Almost two-thirds of the passengers went to a foreign destination, exhibiting how expansive the airport’s international reach has become, especially with the resumption of pre-pandemic flights.

In a show of confidence in Clark, low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific flew over one million passengers to and from the Clark International Airport last year. To date, the airline offers 161,000 seats and operates 872 flights in Clark every month.

Cebu Pacific chief marketing and customer experience officer Candice Iyog said the carrier plans to make further expansion in Clark. The airline hopes to introduce as many routes as possible in Clark so passengers from the north of Luzon no longer have to go to Manila just to fly.

Currently, Cebu Pacific reaches seven domestic destinations from Clark: Bohol, Caticlan, Cebu, Davao, General Santos City, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa.

Similarly, the airline flies to four international cities from Clark, namely, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Narita and Singapore.