CLARK FREEPORT – The Clark International Airport is poised to gain more “island flights” along with other secondary airports with the government moving turboprops out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport starting March 30.
The move is meant to “efficiently and safely maximize the operations at the NAIA,” said a Philippine Star report, citing the Manila Slot Coordination Committee (MSCC), a public-private coalition composed of the Department of Transportation, Manila International Airport Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Civil Aeronautics Board, and the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp., the San Miguel Corp.-led operator of NAIA.
At the same time, the move could help the Clark International Airport to “reach its full potential as the gateway remains underutilized.”
“At the start of Summer 2025 (March 30), scheduled domestic carriers with turboprop aircraft must transfer at least 30% of their turboprop operations at NAIA to secondary airports,” the committee said in its order.
“By Winter 2025 (October 26), all turboprop operations of such scheduled domestic carriers at NAIA must have been completely transferred to other secondary airports,” it added.
With the capacity to take off and land on shorter runways, turboprops are used for smaller tourism destinations hence the “island flight” moniker.
Five airlines are currently operating at the CRK servicing island destinations.
Cebu Pacific with flights to Cebu, Caticlan, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, and Tagbilaran.
Philippine Airlines’ fly to Basco, Busuanga, Cebu, Caticlan, and Siargao.
Sunlight Air to Basco, Caticlan, and Siargao.
AirSwift to Nido and Romblon flights.
AirAsia to Caticlan.
The MSCC move order does not cover scheduled domestic carriers that utilize purely turboprop aircraft or those that have five or fewer aircraft in their fleet, such as Sunlight Airways, Island Aviation, Alphaland and AirSwift, which will be given until the start of Summer 2026 to completely transfer their operations to other airports, The Philippine Star reported. Punto News Team/PhilStar
