CLARK FREEPORT -- The Department of Transportation (DoTr) stated that the new passenger terminal of Clark International Airport (CRK) is expected to accommodate 12.2 million passengers per year once it starts its operation.

As of June 30 2020, the new Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) of Clark airport is 99.14 percent complete, the agency disclosed.

Under the "Build, Build, Build" Program of the Duterte Administration, construction work for the airport expansion project is being rolled out at an accelerated pace.

The DOTr, however, assured that stringent health and safety measures were instituted when the construction resumed to protect the workers.

Once completed, the gateway will spur economic development in Central Luzon.

"Once completed, the new passenger terminal will boost the operational capacity of the CRK and will triple its passenger volume from the current 4.2 million to 12.2 million annually," the agency added.

This development for the CRK, hailed as the "Asia's Next Premier Gateway," will help ease air traffic congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Aside from this, the DOTr stressed that Clark airport will also pave way for the creation of job opportunities and bolster tourism and other socio-economic endeavors in Central Luzon.