Php1.2-B allotted for construction of Clark airport — DOTC

(www.clarkisit.com)

MANILA — A total of Php1.2-billion has been allotted for the construction of the new Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said on Thursday.

According to Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President and CEO Atty. Emigdio Tanjuatco III, the DOTC has already infused the amount for the airport’s new Low Cost Carrier Passenger Terminal Building (LCC PTB).

At the same time, Tanjuatco brushed aside certain perceptions that government is neglecting development of the airport.

“The fact that this project is up for bidding this year is proof that government is serious in developing Clark Airport,” Tanjuatco said.

He also dispelled thoughts that Clark Airport and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are not competing since their operations and expansion complement each other.

While the Clark Airport has its own catchment area in the northern regions of Luzon, NAIA services the southern portion, he said.

To recall, Tanjuatco earlier vowed to draw some three million passengers to Clark Airport within the next two years, as well as to attract more airlines.

He is currently working towards convincing Emirates and Air Asia to return to the 2,367-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex, and is inviting more airlines to operate at the gateway. Currently, it hosts air carriers such as Dragonair, Asiana Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Seair, Qatar Airways, Tigerair, Jin Air, and Air Asia Berhad.

DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya remarked that the new LCC PTB is designed to accommodate at least 15 million passengers annually at the price of Php 7.2 billion.

He said that the department has also tapped the services of Aeroports de Paris for the feasibility study not only of the terminal but also other facilities at the aviation complex.

As for the proposed Sangley International Airport, Abaya said that it is still under study since government is focused on the aggressive development of both NAIA and Clark.