|
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Clark airline manages Diosdado Macapagal airport: exec
By Reynaldo G. Navales
CLARK ECOZONE -- The Clark International Airport Corporation (Ciac) has debunked claims that the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) has no overseeing airport authority.
New Ciac president and chief executive officer (CEO) Victor Jose Luciano said the new airport is, in fact, being properly managed by Ciac, a subsidiary of the state-run Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) president Donald Dee earlier stated that the apparent lack of policy and operational coordination among various airports in the country because operations of the country's airports are left to the local governments.
Dee has also proposed for the creation of a national airport authority that would oversee airport operations in the country.
But Luciano has clarified that the Ciac board is the overseeing airport authority at the DMIA. "There was also close operational coordination among the country's airports because Ciac was working closely with various airports," he said.
From its inception, Ciac was behind the successful conversion of the former Clark airport into productive civilian use. The Clark airport, which was devastated by the eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo 15 years ago, was renamed after former President Diosdado Macapagal.
"We are guided by policies and we have operational coordination with various airports," said Luciano.
The DMIA, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), Mactan Airport and the Subic International Airport (SIA) have their own overseeing airport authorities while the remaining 85 airports in the country are being governed by the Air Transportation Office (ATO), it was learned.
There were efforts to create the Philippine International Airport Authority (PIAA) in the past but the proposal has been pending with the House of Representatives since 1990.
At present, there are about 43 flights per week being posted by three international carriers at DMIA and these are being serviced by Asia Berhad, Tiger Airways and Asiana.
About 60 flights per week are also being rendered by four international and domestic cargo carriers - Transglobal, PEAC, United Parcel Service and Yangtze River Express. Some 14 domestic flights per week are being posted by the South East Asian Airlines (Seair) and Cebu Pacific.
Luciano said that Ciac is doing its best to increase the capacity of DMIA in a bid to increase the volume of international passengers.
Ciac has embarked on the improvement of the DMIA Terminal in an effort to increase passenger capacity from one million passengers per year to five million passengers.
(September 20, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
