PASSENGER traffic at Clark International Airport peaked at more than 1.5 million, the highest recorded so far in the history of the airport, in the first seven months of the year.

Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) president Alexander Cauguiran said a total of 1,538,958 travelers passed through the airport from January 1 to August 8, exceeding the 1.514 million passengers recorded in the entire 2017.

“We have a total of 1,538,958 travelers at Clark as of August 8 and at this rate, we will be able to reach the 2.5 million mark by the end of the year,” Cauguiran said.

“So far, this is the highest record in the history of CIAC since 1995, and our aim is to reach or surpass the 2.5 million passengers this year which will mean more revenues for the government and more flights to come,” Cauguiran added.

The record number of travelers served in just one day was last May 26 at 8,662 passengers.

The average daily passenger volume at the Clark airport is 7,000. The airport caters to 462 weekly flights, 166 of which are international flights while the remaining 296 are domestic flights.

The airport chief said these record-breaking figures are attributed to the Duterte administration’s full support to the further development of Clark airport along with the leadership of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, whose agency oversees the airport’s operation, and CIAC’s parent company, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) headed by its president Vince Dizon.

Only two years after being appointed as CIAC head, Cauguiran has steered Clark airport to expand its domestic and international flights, a huge improvement from three to five years ago with more airlines signifying to mount flights under his management.

International destinations from Clark include Doha and Dubai in the Middle East, Incheon and Busan in South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei and Singapore while negotiations are ongoing for airlines to mount Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur flights, among others.

The airport is also connected to major domestic destinations including Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and Palawan.