CLARK FREEPORT -- Officials of Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) has announced that the construction of a new passenger terminal will start this month.
CIAC President Alexander Cauguiran has stressed the need to construct new airport terminals because of the rapid increase in the number of passengers.
Cauiguiran said the airport recorded 1.4 million passengers this year. The figure is bigger than last year, which was pegged at 1.3 million passengers, he added.
“We are at the first phase, we will build a new passenger terminal building,” Cauguiran said.
Aside from the building, CIAC will also construct a secondary road network that would connect the terminal to the SCTEX, Cauguiran said.
"Passengers will no longer pass through long route. We will also construct a transportation hub. Five components are incorporated in the first phase,” he added.
The project will begin in December of this year and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2020, according to Cauguiran.
“The government, President Duterte, and DOTr (Department of Transportation) want the BCDA (Bases Conversion and Development Authority) to finish it by the first quarter of 2020. From there, once the market becomes vibrant, we can see its results. It will take years before we can implement the second phase,” Cauguiran said.
The new terminal, once completed, is expected to accommodate up to eight million passengers.
Cauguiran said that with a second terminal, the Clark airport can accommodate a total of more than 12 million passengers.
He added that the construction of the new terminal is expected to cost the government P12 billion to P15 billion.