CLARK FREEPORT – A consortium led by a local subsidiary of the Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd. Has won the bidding for the privatization of the Clark International Airport here, the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) announced yesterday.
In a statement, the BCDA said it has awarded the operations and management of the Clark airport to the consortium North Luzon Airport Consortium (NLAC) which comprises the Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd., Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings, Inc., and Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions, Inc.
The local Changi firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of the operator of Singapore’s Changi airport, reputed to be the best in the whole world.
BCDA said the awarding of the 24-year contract to operate and manage Clark airport was done “in partnership” with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) after the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) confirmed it last Wednesday.
“The Special Bids and Awards Committee conducted a stringent and very transparent process with the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank (IFC-WB) as its transaction adviser, and the Public-Private Partnership Center (PPPC),” BCDA said.
It noted that NLAC’s financial bid off er of 18.25 percent annual gross revenue percentage share is almost twice the minimum rate set at 10 percent as approved by the NEDA Board.”
“All the requirements and provisions in the 25-year concession will protect not only the interest of the present government but also future governments from undue and contingent risks and liabilities,” it added.
BCDA noted that “the expansion of the Clark International Airport and the development of the entire Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zones are among the centerpiece projects under President Rodrigo Duterte’s Build Build Build program.”
“To further accelerate growth in Central Luzon and nearby areas, the government is also building New Clark City, envisioned to be the first green, smart, and sustainable metropolis in the country; the Subic-Clark Railway, a 70-kilometer cargo railway connecting Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Clark Freeport Zone; and the Manila to Clark commuter railway,” the agency also said.
The Clark airport is currently being operated and managed by the state-owned Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC), the implementing arm of the BCDA at the 3,200-hectare aviation area here.
NLAC would operate and manage some 800 hectares of the total area hosting the passenger terminal which could accommodate four million passengers yearly. It would also have jurisdiction over another terminal now being constructed in the area.
On the other hand, CIAC would be left areas outside the NLAC area, including a business district known as Clark Logistics City.
