AirAsia picks Clark as hub in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - AirAsia Inc., the Philippine-based affiliate of the AirAsia Group, has chosen Clark as its hub in the country.

The airline, which announced its set up last December, will be basing its operations at Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal International Airport. It plans to start operating international flights from the airport in the fourth quarter of this year.

“Our choice of Clark underlines the airline’s commitment to developing transportation and tourism hubs outside Manila. This is part of our plan to contribute to the development of the country as a whole. AirAsia Inc. is excited to start contributing to the economy of Clark and the rest of the country by boosting tourism and offering job opportunities to Filipinos,” AirAsia Inc. chief executive Marianne Hontiveros said.

Clark is strategically located just north of Manila and is easily accessible to 23 million people from the National Capital Region, Central and Northern Luzon. It is also where the airline’s sister company, Malaysia-based AirAsia Berhad, has been flying to and from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu since 2005.

“We plan to make Clark the hub for flights to popular destinations including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Korea and Japan. Travel will become much easier and more affordable for tourists and overseas Filipino workers,” Hontiveros added.

Hontiveros, along with Antonio Cojuangco Jr. and Michael Romero, own 60 percent of AirAsia, Inc. in equal partnership. The remaining 40 percent is owned by AirAsia Berhad.

With the announcement, Clark will become the 13th regional hub of the ASEAN-based AirAsia Group, which currently includes AirAsia Inc., AirAsia Berhad, AirAsia Thailand and AirAsia Indonesia. The group’s 12 current hubs are Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang in Malaysia; Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand; and Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Medan and Bali in Indonesia.

The opening of AirAsia Inc. is seen as a vote of confidence in the country’s growing economy and a big boost to the archipelago’s airline and tourism industries.

 It will leverage on the strength of the AirAsia Group, which leads the low-cost airline industry in Asia. 

The group has over 60 destinations in all 10 ASEAN countries, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia. 

Through the group’s low-cost long-haul affiliate AirAsia X, its guests are able to fly to more destinations in Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan, India, Iran, Korea, Japan, France and the UK. The AirAsia Group has a young fleet of approximately 90 Airbus A320 aircraft, while AirAsia X has a fleet of 11 Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft.

With the popularity of its low fares and extensive network of destinations, the AirAsia Group has flown more than 100 million passengers since its launch in 2001.