Opening of Clark airport terminal pushed back by health crisis

The Department of Transportation has postponed the opening of the new passenger terminal at Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga province amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The P15-billion terminal, now 99-percent complete, was originally set to be operational by the middle of this year. But with the pandemic, it will be open to the public in January next year, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

“Let’s make this operational by January of next year at the latest. I’m not inclined to make any extension,” Tugade said in a statement last week.

The terminal is being built by Megawide Construction Corp. and India’s GMR Infrastructure, which are also behind the upgrade and operations of Mactan Cebu International Airport.

The interior work and systems installation of the terminal will continue with strict health precautions, according to private consortium Luzon International Premier Airport Development (Lipad) Corp.The new terminal would at least double passenger capacity at CRK to eight million annually. The existing passenger terminal, which has a capacity of four million a year, will be “decommissioned,” the government had announced earlier.

After the construction component of the airport was bagged by Megawide-GMR, the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) awarded the 25-year operations and maintenance to Lipad.

Presidential Adviser for Flagship Projects and BCDA president Vivencio Dizon said the construction of Clark’s new terminal, started in April 2018, might be the “fastest mega infrastructure project any government or administration has undertaken.” —REPORTS FROM MIGUEL R. CAMUS, TONETTE OREJAS AND KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING INQ