MANILA, Philippines — Clark International Airport expects its passenger traffic to reach 3.4 million this year as a result of the turboprop transfer from Manila.
Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corp., the private operator of the northern gateway, said it is anticipating flight and passenger numbers to balloon by double digits in 2025 due to the relocation of turboprops from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
LIPAD president and CEO Noel Manankil said the airport was originally projected to serve only three million passengers this year.
However, it recalibrated its forecast following the development in NAIA where turboprops would be phased out starting March 30. Now, the expectation is that passenger volume will go up by 42 percent to 3.4 million, from 2.4 million in 2024.
Likewise, aircraft movement in the airport will increase by 14 percent to 269 per week, from 237 currently, by March 30. Manankil said LIPAD is prepared to serve this level of aviation activity, noting that Clark is designed to fly eight million a year.
LIPAD is also talking to bus operators about the urgency of scaling up point-to-point services to Clark, especially once all island flights from NAIA are pulled out by 2026.
Manankil said there are also considerations to offer private transfers–similar to the ones offered abroad–to expand the availability of transport units.
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific is the first to withdraw some of its turboprop services from NAIA, relocating in Clark its Manila flights to Masbate and Siargao by March 30.
Cebu Pacific will offer daily flights from Clark to Busuanga and El Nido as part of its strategy to remain the largest domestic carrier in the gateway. Manankil said flag carrier Philippine Airlines would maximize the October deadline for its turboprop transfer.
Right now, LIPAD is convincing at least three carriers from the Middle East to mount flights in Clark. Currently, the farthest a passenger can directly reach from Clark is to the Middle East, but the hub harbors multiple options to South Korea thanks to Aero K, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air.
The slot regulator in NAIA has ordered airlines to withdraw turboprops in the airport to dedicate the single runway for larger aircraft that carry more passengers.
Turboprops, which are smaller in size compared to jetliners, are assigned to fly mainly to island destinations where airports have shorter or unpaved runways.