FLY HIGH. Airphil Express’ Herrera and Ong exchange gifts with CIAC’s Luciano and Manga during the cocktails at the Holiday Inn in Clark on Friday. Photo by Ric Gonzales
CLARK FREEPORT – Airphil Express officially announced on Friday the start of its flights in Clark on March 29 to four local destinations, aiming to serve eight million passengers this year.
Airphil Express, owned by the Lucio Tan group of companies, banked on the some 18 million population of Central and North Luzon to double the number of its people it served in 2011 numbering 4 million.
“We are providing a vital link between residents and visitors in the north to popular destinations in the south such as Boracay and Palawan.
The population in North and Central Luzon is virtually 25 percent of the country’s total population. Add to that is the growing number of foreign tourists who are also exploring the northern area of the country, who can now conveniently travel directly to Visayas and Mindanao,” said Alfredo Herrera, AirPhil Express senior vice president for sales and marketing.
He joined Airphil Express President and CEO Peter Ong in hosting Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose Luciano, CIAC Executive Vice President Bienvenido Manga, businessmen, local and Manila-based journalists and travel agency owners in the cocktails at Holiday Inn Resort Clark.
“It will move further up,” said Luciano when asked about Airphil Express’ contribution to the projected P1.6 million passengers at the Clark International Airport (CIA) in 2012.
Some 760,000 passengers used the CIA in 2011. In the first two months of 2012, Luciano noted a 38 percent increase in the number of passengers compared to the same period last year.
Airphil Express will deploy 180-seater Airbus A320 in its Clark operations. They will be used in the following flight schedules:
Davao on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; Cebu on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Sundays; Kalibo on Mondays; Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; and Puerto Princesa on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
