Tigerair sees enormous potential of Clark Freeport Zone

MANILA, Philippines - Low-cost carrier Tiger Airways Philippines, formerly SEAir Inc., is setting its sight on Clark Freeport Zone as its new strategic path to tap a growing number of travelers in Northern Luzon.

“We see a great potential for business growth in Northern Luzon and we believe Clark will play a big role in establishing Tigerair Philippines’ presence in that area,” said Tigerair Philippines president and CEO Linda Oliva Ramos. “We would like to see Tigerair’s name being synonymous to Clark.”

The Singaporean-led airline firm is currently flying to several international and local routes from the Clark International Airport located inside the freeport.

Specifically, Tigerair Philippines flies domestic via Clark or Terminal 4 to Manila-Cebu, Manila-Bacolod, Manila-Iloilo, Manila-Kalibo, Manila-Puerto Princesa, and Manila-Tacloban. 

Its international flights include Clark–Hong Kong, Clark–Bangkok, Clark–Singapore, Clark–Kalibo, Kalibo–Singapore, and Manila-Phuket.

“I think, we are still not good at promoting Clark as a destination, but Clark is enormous. There’s a lot of potential in Clark,” Ramos said.

In the near future, Ramos said they would be mounting new flights from Clark to other markets such as Macau, Japan, Korea, and Davao.

“We are now in the process of securing necessary approvals to fly from Clark to these other destinations,” she said.

If everything goes based on plan, she said Tigerair Philippines can start flying to Macau by this month or early 2014.

In the second quarter of next year, the airline is optimistic it can commence serving the Japan and Korean markets. Flights to Davao, on the other hand, are expected to kick off this month.

Just recently, officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Tigerair Philippines and Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) formed a special cooperation team that would study how they could be able to enhance tourism activities in Clark and nearby provinces in preparation for the airline’s entry into these new markets.

“We would like to think of ways on how tourists could better appreciate the Northern Luzon as a very attractive travel destination. We also want to make sure that the tourists we would be bringing in to Clark would have good places to go and visit. We want the travelers from our new markets to enjoy their stay here,” Ramos said.

She said the Clark Freeport, aside from having a newly expanded, world-class airport, has more to offer to foreign and local tourists.

“Food tourism in this part of the Philippines can be considered as a very unique experience not to mention the clean fun nightlife that Pampanga has designed for tourists who would like to enjoy an evening of fun and entertainment,” Ramos said.

Expanding their market, particularly in Clark, according to Ramos, would not only help boost the company’s revenues but would also give a big push to Northern Luzon’s tourism and contribute to the economic growth of the region.

For 2013, Tigerair Philippines expects to jack up revenues to P5 billion which is three times higher than 2012. 

“We are confident that this growth can be supported by the bullish tourism targets of the DOT and the increasing number of travelers from wider segments of society,” said Ramos, who joined the company in 2012.

Tigerair Philippines’ current thrust is also consistent with the government’s effort to encourage tourism in different parts of the country amid the damage caused by recent natural calamities in most parts of the Visayas, particularly Cebu, Bohol, and Leyte.

The company’s strategy to give more focus on Clark as an alternative gateway, Ramos said, is also a parallel move to bringing better services and products to travelers.

“We would like to believe that these moves are consistent with our ‘Tigerair Brings You There’ marketing battle cry. We bring you to your destinations, to your experience, to your passion, to your love, to your life,” Ramos said.

With the growth of the low-cost carrier market, Ramos said there would be even more stringent standards of service, safety and security. 

She said passengers would have more choices and affordable prices would not be the only consideration but an airline’s track record for safety and on-time reliability.

“For Tiger Airways Philippines, we hope to achieve three goals. To our employees, we want to be the employer of choice, to rear a pilot and cabin crew who are passionate, people-focused, and committed to excellence. For our stakeholders, we want Tiger Airways Philippines to be the investment of choice which delivers sustainable shareholder returns and profitable growth. For our passengers, we want to become the airline of choice — one that offers great value and a seamless experience,” said Ramos.

In this cut-throat airline industry, Ramos, who was former president and CEO of the DHL supply chain in the Philippines, also wants to usher in Tigerair Philippines to greater heights as it carries a strong regional brand after the entry of its new investor, Tiger Airways Holdings Inc. (Tigerair), partly owned by Singapore Airlines.

SEAir became the Philippine affiliate of Singapore-based low-cost carrier Tigerair when the latter acquired 40 percent ownership share. Following an approval from the Civil Aviation Board, SEAir Inc. was renamed as Tigerair Philippines in June this year.

Established in 2004, Tigerair flies to over 50 destinations across 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Aside from Tigerair Philippines, Tigerair also runs three other airlines, namely Tigerair Singapore, Tigerair Australia, and Tigerair Mandala.

As of October this year, Tigerair operates a fleet of 49 Airbus A320-family aircraft, averaging less than three years of age. It plans to build its fleet to 68 aircraft by December 2015.

“Tigerair Philippines is a distinguished regional brand that differentiates itself in terms of safety, reliability and seamless customer service,” Ramos said. 

For more information on Tiger Airways Philippines, visit www.tigerair.com or call +632 798-4488.