CLARK FREEPORT --- The Clark International Airport has recorded 1.7 million passengers in 2017, surpassing its highest record of over 1.3 million in 2012.
Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) acting president Alex Cauguiran attributed the increase in travelers volume to numerous flights mounted by local and international carriers including the Philippines Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Philippines AirAsia, China Eastern Airlines and others.
“The airport’s 2017 passenger traffic surpassed its highest record of over 1.3 million in 2012,” Cauguiran said.
He added that Clark airport, which was branded as the "Airport of the North", now accommodates around 200 international and domestic flights per week.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that Clark is the country’s gateway next to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has driven local and international airlines to mount flights in Clark, according to the CIAC chief.
He also lauded Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade for working hard to realize Duterte’s plan to develop Clark and decongest Metro Manila and NAIA.
A new passenger terminal, which can accommodate eight million passengers yearly, will be constructed. The P10-billion airport project is expected to be completed by 2020, Cauguiran said.