7 foreign airlines take closer look at Clark

More foreign carriers are considering setting up hubs in Clark International Airport in Pampanga, which has been struggling to increase traffic in recent years, its state-run operator said yesterday.

Clark International Airport Corp. CEO Emigdio Tanjuatco III said seven more international airlines had expressed their intention to “look at” Clark.

These are Taiwanese low-cost carrier V-Air, Jet Star of Singapore, regional carrier Thai Smile, Malaysia’s Rayani Air, Express Air of Indonesia, Air India and Airline 4.0, a new carrier in the United States.

“At the very most, these airlines can now see Clark Airport on paper and, hopefully, we can lure some of them to try Clark, as well as to increase flights,” Tanjuatco said in a statement.

These airlines are among the 17 carriers set to visit Clark International Airport on March 5. The airport operator is scheduled to showcase Clark Airport’s facilities and infrastructure in a bid to lure more flights to the 2,367-hectare Civil Aviation Complex.

Clark now hosts Qatar Airways, Asiana Airlines, Dragonair, Jin Air, Cebgo, Tiger Air of Singapore, Air Asia Berhad and Cebu Pacific Air.

The air gateway, which handles about 1.3 million passengers a year, is struggling to lure passengers and carriers due to its distance from Metro Manila.

CIAC said earlier it was seeking to double Clark Airport’s annual passenger traffic to three million in two years as it targeted markets outside Metro Manila.

It noted that about 1.5 million passengers coming from Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Northern part of National Capital Region preferring the Ninoy Aquino International Airport only because “they were not aware there is Clark International Airport.”

A study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency pointed to continued growth for Clark.

“While NAIA’s capacity is getting saturated, the functions of the two gateway airports of NAIA and Clark  should be urgently strengthened and integrated by clarifying their roles and improving access to and between these airports,” Jica and the National Economic and Development Authority noted in a report.

The report showed Clark Airport’s passenger traffic would hit 2.6 million by 2020 and 9.2 million by 2040.