Qatar Airways lauds P-Noy, Clark executive for support

CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines – Five-star airline Qatar Airways has lauded President Aquino and Clark International International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano for their support to its endeavors at the airport here and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In a statement during the Clark Aviation Conference, Qatar Airways country manager Abdallah Okasha said the government and CIAC management have been supportive of the airline’s operations in the Philippines.

“I am grateful to the Philippine government, the business communities, trade players and CIAC management for putting Qatar Airways in the global community when we launched our 133 destinations (in) October 2013 at Clark,” Okasha said.

Okasha also took the occasion to announce that Qatar Airways will continue to operate in the Philippines, particularly in Clark.

Qatar Airways launched last year its non-stop daily flights via Doha-Clark-Doha at the Clark airport that paved the way for Middle East airlines servicing central and northern Luzon.

For his part, Luciano also thanked Qatar Airways for its continued trust and confidence in the Clark airport, saying the CIAC will continue to support the airline’s operations at the 2,367-hectare civil aviation complex.

Luciano said the airline’s Clark operations are fast becoming an attraction to overseas Filipino workers coming from northern Luzon, using Clark airport as their gateway to the Middle East.

Okasha has noted a 50 to 90 percent increase in load factor for Qatar Airways since it started its Clark flights last year.