Clark airport body to spend P18.5B for expansion of DMIA

The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) is planning to spend P18.5 billion in the next three years to prepare the groundwork for a new and bigger Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in line with the long-term vision of President Arroyo to make Clark the international gateway to Central Luzon.

CIAC president and chief executive officer Victor Jose I. Luciano said the feasibility study for the future DMIA may be funded by the Korean financing agency Koica.

Based on its master plan, CIAC will spend about P18.5 billion from 2007 to 2010 for initial civil and architectural work, extension of the existing runway and construction of parallel runways and taxiways, an apron, a logistics area and a separate freight terminal.

Luciano said funding could be sourced through a number of ways such as official development assistance (ODA) funds, a combination of ODA and private and public sector financing, or build operate transfer (BOT) scheme or its variant.

As per plan, the initial civil and architectural works would cost P13.56 billion. Installation of navigational facilities is projected to cost P125.54 million. Another P55.96 million is earmarked for a meterological facility.

The installation of airport light is expected to cost P704.82 million, while airport utilities would run up to P3.99 billion. Acquisition of airport maintenance equipment would cost another P75.62 million.

The CIAC is projecting that the existing DMIA, which is being expanded, will hit its capacity of two million passenger arrivals by 2010.

Construction of a P2-billion budget terminal or T2 is envisioned by then. Clark Development Corp. president and chief executive officer Levy P. Laus said Clark has two existing runways and has provisions for a third runway in the future.

He said the existing primary runway, can accommodate an aircraft as big as the Airbus A380.