CLARK FREEPORT -- A top official of Air Asia on Wednesday cited the tourism potential of Clark.
Air Asia chief executive officer Tony Fernandes, during his visit at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), said the airline is committed to bring tourists to the country via DMIA.
"We like Clark because it's cheaper [in here]," Fernandes said.
Fernandes also announced the carrier's plan to expand its operation to other countries in Asia and middle-east.
"But we have to establish a base in the Philippine first before we can get rights or a license to fly to other countries like Dubai and others," he said.
Air Asia now has 14 flights a week to Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur.
Fernandes also stressed they need the support of the Philippine government and the Filipinos.
He said Air Asia grows with the market and Malaysians will not come into the country without the airline.
Air Asia is a Malaysian low-cost airline. It operates scheduled domestic and international flights and is Asia's largest low-fare, no-frills airline.
It is a pioneer of low-cost flights in Asia, and was also the first airline in the region to implement fully ticketless travel.
Clark International Airport Corporation (Ciac) officials led by President and chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano welcomed Fernandes and other officials of the airline.
Luciano lauded the efforts of Air Asia which pioneered budget flights in Clark in 2005.
After visiting Clark on Wednesday, Fernandes and his entourage attended Air Asia's stockholders meeting in Manila.
The airline's main base is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Its affiliate airlines, Thai Air Asia and Indonesia Air Asia, have hubs at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand and Seokarno Hatta International Airport, Indonesia, respectively.
Air Asia's registered office is in Petaling Jaya, Selangor while its head office is on the grounds of KLIA in Sepang, Selangor.
Air Asia was established in 1993 and commenced operations on 18 November 1996. It was originally founded by a government-owned conglomerate DRB-Hicom.
In December 2, 2001, the heavily-indebted airline was purchased by Fernandes' company Tune Air Sdn Bhd for the token sum of one ringgit.