DMIA traffic increases as UPS, AOE add flights

CABANATUAN CITY – The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), the airport named after President Arroyo’s late father, is now the country’s second busiest airport after the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) with the opening this month of two additional flights.

Undersecretary Renato Diaz, presidential assistant for Central Luzon, said that the on-going expansion of DMIA, particularly its passenger terminal building is geared towards an increase in the traffic of arriving and departing tourists, (overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the local community who, he noted, need not travel all the way to Manila to catch their Asian destinations.

He said that the United Parcel Service (UPS) is set to begin two additional flights to and from Osaka and Shenzhen today to add up to its existing flights to and from DMIA to Narita, Sydney, Taipei, Pudong, South Korea, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

"There are nine flights per city a week so DMIA will be much busier insofar as cargo handling is concerned," he said.

"With the development of these new flight routes, more tourists and investments are expected to flow in Central Luzon. Things are really looking up in Central Luzon," he said.

Diaz said that Asia Overnight Express (AOE) is also set to begin their regular flights to DMIA today with flights from Saigon and Osaka to commence for a total of four and one flight per week, respectively.

On June 6, he added, weekly flights will begin servicing the Bangkok-Clark route while direct flights from Senzhen to Clark will also begin in December.

The AOE is also considering flights from Shanghai, Xiamen and Guangzhou next year.

Diaz noted that DMIA has become such a busy airport with commuter flights from Inchon and South Korea presently being operated by Asiana Airlines (AA) and three chartered flights from Hong Kong already started by China Rich Airways (CRA).

Other prospective Low Cost Airlines (LCAs) are Air Asia Berhad (AAB), Thai Airways and Tiger Airways.

"The opening and expansion of flights at DMIA, the completion of the new North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the start in the construction of the North Rail will surely contribute to the upsurge of economic activities and opportunities in Central Luzon and the other northern provinces of Luzon," he explained.

"If you go around Clark these days, you will see an increase in the number of Chinese and Korean tourists and Taiwanese investors. This augurs well for President Arroyo’s 10-point agenda which includes increasing job opportunities not only in the tourism but also in the manufacturing sectors," he said.