CLARK FREEPORT -- Officials of Clark International Airport Corporation have welcomed the Clark-Singapore flights of Jetstar Asia described as a big boost to the operation of the airport.
Jetstar will start its new direct service to Singapore from Clark International Airport (CRK), which is now the country’s new gateway serving northern Metro Manila and Central and Northern Luzon on November 28.
Jetstar Asia will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays between Clark and Singapore.
The new route will broaden the low-fares options for more than 20 million residents from the airport’s catchment population who are currently underserved.
Jetstar, a budget carrier, first took to the skies in December 2004. It currently operates more than 600 weekly return flights to 25 destinations across 13 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Singapore route would be the airline’s first services from Clark, considered as the complementary gateway to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The new route will provide more than 410,000 seats a year in total capacity between the Philippines and Singapore.
Alexander Cauguiran, president and CEO of Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC), said Jetstar’s business decision to mount flights at Clark is in recognition of the latter’s marketability and the increasing number of the airport's local destinations.
“The (CRK-Singapore) flights will definitely boost our operations as we are looking at more travelers who may now choose Clark to fly Jetstar,” Cauguiran added.
The new service will be operated by Jetstar Asia’s 180-seat Airbus A320.
Clark airport’s catchment population consists of Ilocos Region at 5 million; Cagayan Valley Region at 3.4 million; Central Luzon Region at 11.2 million, the Cordillera Administrative Region at 1.7 million; and the Camanava area (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) with 2.8 million, totaling more than 24 million potential passengers.
CRK currently has 134 international flights and 104 domestic flights weekly and passenger traffic is projected to reach 1.5 million by end of 2017.