CIAC president and CEO Emigdio Tanjuatco III cited figures indicating that a total of 316,656 passengers used Clark from January to April this year compared to 292,659 passengers over the same period last year.
“That eight percent increase in passenger traffic can be attributed to the fact that more and more people are beginning to realize the convenience and comfort of using Clark airport, especially those coming from Central and Northern Luzon regions which is Clark’s passenger catch basin,” Tanjuatco said.
Tanjuatco noted “passengers who come from these regions benefit from the fact that they need not travel all the way to Metro Manila, thus saving time and money as they travel abroad especially our OFWs who are on their way to the Middle East.”
He said Clark airport hosts daily flights of two major international carriers based in the Middle East: “Emirates and Qatar Airways that both fly seven days a week straight to Dubai and Doha, Qatar, respectively.”
“At least 75 percent of overseas Filipino workers deployed in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar hail from Central and Northern Luzon. There are at least close to a million OFWs in UAE and another 2.5 million in the rest of the Gulf countries,” he also said.
Tanjuatco expressed optimism that “the next administration will see the potentials of Clark airport not only as the next major international gateway in the country but also a means to help decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila.”
Badr Abbas, Emirates senior vice president for commercial operations in the Far East, expressed optimism, saying “Clark remains viable. Whenever we start any (new) destination, we look at the passenger and cargo demand and we believe there is enough passenger and cargo demand, and we believe it will be a successful operation.”
Using a Boeing 777-300ER that can fly as many as 400 passengers, the Emirates flights from Clark connect to some 150 destinations worldwide through its hub in Dubai International Airport (DXB).
“Efforts to entice the entry of more international airlines at CRK is coupled by a program to similarly attract the start of domestic airlines who will launch so-called ‘feeder flights’ that will help sustain the long-haul carriers,” Tanjuatco said.
At present, only Cebu Pacific Airways flies domestically at Clark with flight services to Mactan-Cebu International Airport four times a week.
With Cebu Pacific also flying to Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore, Clark airport is host to other airlines like Asiana Airlines (Incheon, South Korea), Jin Air (Incheon and Busan, South Korea), Cathay Pacific/ Dragonair (Hong Kong) and Tiger Air (Singapore).
