CLARK FREEPORT – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday led the groundbreaking rites of the $100 million maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at the 2,500 hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex that would service long-haul airlines in the world.
Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) & CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano said that “President Arroyo was grateful to see the first ever world-class MRO to be set up inside the airport complex.”
“The President told me that she was very happy and grateful and that she wanted this project to be set up at Clark as this is her dream in making the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) as the leading service and logistics hub in the world,” Luciano said during the groundbreaking rites.
The MRO facility will service long-haul commercial aircraft and is expected to further improve services at DMIA which is being pump-primed as the next premier gateway of the Philippines.
President Arroyo arrived here at about 1:30 P.M. and led officials of the CIAC headed by Luciano, SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) led by President and CEO William Tan and Cebu Pacific Air President & CEO Lance Gokongwei to the groundbreaking and capsule laying of the multi-million dollar project. It is expected to be completed by mid 2009.
“This is one of the main components of the vision to make Clark a leading aviation service hub for the Asia Pacific Region, this is the maintenance facility for commercial aircrafts,” Luciano said.
Meanwhile, Gokongwei said his company is optimistic that a world-class MRO facility here will further enhance aerospace into the Philippines.
With SIA Engineering Company’s MRO proficiency, he said they will develop local talent pool of aerospace management and engineering personnel.
He added that a heavy maintenance facility in the Philippines will significantly enhance Cebu Pacific Air’s dispatch reliability and engineering quality.
SIA Engineering (Philippines) Corporation is 65 percent owned by the SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) with Cebu Pacific Air owning a 35 percent stake in the joint venture.
Gokongwei’s firm and SIA Engineering Philippines have partnered to develop the facility for passengers used for international flights.
“They fulfilled their commitment that is why we invested,” said Gokongwei, referring to Luciano.
Gokongwei also said the “skilled and reliable workers had also been considered” by Cebu Pacific and SIA.
The project involves the construction of three large hangars that will service long-haul commercial aircraft at its 10-hectare property at the airport. The first hangar will service narrow–bodied aircraft such as the Airbus 320 while the second and third will service wide-bodied aircraft such as the Boeing 747s and 777s.
The facility will generate at least 1,000 jobs in its construction phase and is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2009. The MRO will complement the development of the DMIA as a logistics and services hub as well as the Clark airport as envisioned by President Arroyo.
Luciano stressed the MRO is an important integral part of the operations of the DMIA because it can now handle the maintenance, repair and overhaul of legacy carriers in the Asian region.
A part of the Singapore Airlines Group, SIAEC provides maintenance services for the more than 60 international carriers operating at Singapore’s Changi International Airport, including airframe and component overhaul on some of the most advanced, widely-used commercial aircraft in the world.
SIAEC’s line maintenance support extends to more than 40 airports such as Australia, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
SIAEC services at least 80 international carriers and aerospace equipment manufacturers. It has 20 certifications from airworthiness authorities around the world with six hangars and 22 in-house workshops in Singapore which provide complete MRO services in airframe, component, engine, aircraft conversions and modifications for major airlines from four continents.
On April 4, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between CIAC, SIAEC, and Cebu Pacific Air for the establishment of a world-class MRO facility at the Clark airport. The agreement was signed during the inauguration of the expanded DMIA Passenger Terminal in the presence of President Arroyo.