Airlines bat for dual airport system

MANILA, Philippines - Local and foreign airlines are pushing for the joint operation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila and the Clark International Airport in Pampanga under a dual airport scheme.

In a statement submitted to Clark International Airport Corp. president and chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano, the Airline Operators Council (AOC) expressed support for the government’s move to develop the Clark International Airport.

“The AOC supports the principle of the dual airport scheme. We have always expressed concern that the NAIA has reached its maximum capacity with the increasing number of passengers annually,” the group said in the statement.

It added that both the government as well as the private sector should work together to boost the country’s target of achieving 10 million tourists by 2016.

 â€œThe AOC and the airline industry are very excited about recent developments in government to pursue this principle. There is no question that the runway system in Clark is far more capable of handling numerous inbound and out bound aircraft,” the group said.

AOC chairman Florante Isidro also expressed confidence that the Clark International Airport would play a major role in the aviation industry with the completion of the on-going construction of the P360 million phase 2 expansion of the passenger terminal.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of the month in time for the direct Manila to Dubai flights of Emirates and the direct Manila to Doha flights of Qatar Airways next month.

The new passenger terminal would have a capacity of five million passengers per year. The international gateway in Pampanga recorded 1.3 million passengers last year.

“We are hopeful though that a new passenger terminal would soon turn into reality to encourage our members to schedule regular flights into and out of Clark,” Isidro said.

For his part, Luciano said Emirates and Qatar could attract passengers in the Northern Luzon that will link them to the rest of the Middle East especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) mostly residing in the North.

He also said that Emirates and Qatar would also bring European and Arab tourists to visit Clark and the rest of the Philippines.

Earlier, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said President Aquino is inclined on adopting a dual airport system by upgrading the congested 30-year old NAIA while developing the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

Business groups led by the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) have been urging the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to “seriously consider” the development of the “twin airports” system.