CLARK FREEPORT – At least 10 commercial aircraft were diverted to Clark International Airport (CIA) late Wednesday afternoon amid the upgrading of the radar system at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President-CEO Victor Jose Luciano said that the aircraft started arriving at Clark Airport at about 4:30 p.m.
In many instances in the recent years, the CIA has been absorbing international and domestic flights which could not land at NAIA for various reasons, including fl ight congestion and visibility problems.
The airlines included three Airphil Express from Tuguegarao, Dipolog and Cagayan De Oro, one Gulf Air from Bahrain, one Philippine Airlines from Incheon, two Tiger Air Philippines from Cebu and Bacolod, an Air Asia Zest from Cagayan De Oro and two Cebu Pacific Air from Cebu.
They landed safely at the airport here where they stayed on up to yesterday, when they started to leave for NAIA starting 2:10 a.m. Clark Airport is being primed by the government as the next premier gateway of the country.
Luciano said the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), which has jurisdiction over the Clark aviation complex here, has already submitted a study on the proposed dual airport system that would make the Clark airport at par with the NAIA.
The entry of the daily flights of Emirates Airlines here last October 1 has boosted passenger volume. Emirates is expected to cater to one million passengers to Clark by next year via its nonstop daily Dubai-Clark flights.
Qatar Airways is slated to start its daily flights between Clark and Doha starting October 28. An estimated 10 million overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East are expected to benefit from the new direct flights here.
