CLARK FREEPORT ---- The Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) is set to hold talks with airlines with long-haul flights to connect Clark to the North American region.
CIAC President and Chief Executive Officer Alexander Cauguiran said they are currently in negotiations with air carriers aimed at connecting Clark to North America.
Cauguiran stressed this during the Asia CEO Forum.
The CIAC chief refused to give the names of the air carriers saying the “the airport management is currently in talks with them.”
The huge market potential of Clark International Airport (CRK) are travelers coming from Regions I to III and the Camanava area (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Malabon) with a combined population of around 24.2 million, Cauguiran added.
“Clark ought to be the most logical and practical airport of choice of the people from the northern and central parts of Luzon is Clark,” Cauguiran said, citing the ordeal of travelers who experience the horrendous traffic congestion on their way to the over-crowded Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
At the said forum, CIAC executives presented a Master Development Plan which includes the building of a new Passenger Terminal with an eight million-passenger capacity.
The project will be implemented by the Department of Transportation headed by Secretary Arthur Tugade.
“Secretary Tugade’s plan is to build another terminal by 2019 or before President Duterte’s term ends,” Cauguiran said, adding that studies indicate the inevitable growth in the number of passengers due to the increasing number flights at CRK.
In its report, CIAC seeks to maximize in the next two to three years the existing terminal with a capacity of 4.2 million passengers annually.
The Philippine Airlines (PAL) recently launched flights to Caticlan, Cebu, Davao and daily international flights to Incheon in South Korea.
PAL is also set to launch its Palawan route via Puerto Princesa and Busuanga domestic flights by March 26.