The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) will present to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in August the concept design for a new low-cost carrier (LCC) terminal expected to further boost Clark International Airport’s (CRK) capacity to between eight and 16 million passengers per year.
As part of CRK’s long-term development, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and CIAC earlier this year commissioned Aeroports de Paris (ADP)—owner and operator of the French capital’s airports—to prepare a master plan for the Clark aerotropolis and a feasibility study for a new P7.2-billion LCC terminal to enhance the airport’s attractiveness as a regional hub.
Last month, ADP presented the concept design for the LCC terminal to DOTC and CIAC, both of which will present the same to the NEDA-Investment Coordination Committee in August.
“We are hoping for a smooth process in order for the project to be completed within 2016,” Transport Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in a statement.
CRK’s existing passenger terminal building (PTB) was expanded last May, boosting the hub’s annual passenger capacity to around four million from the previous 2.5 million.
The P417-million project increased the PTB’s area from 11,439 square meters to 19,799 square meters, and raised the number of its check-in counters from 13 to 34.
To accommodate more passengers and ease queuing, 12 departure counters and five arrival counters were also added. The modernized portion of the terminal itself has eight entry points and three customs stations.
These improvements allow CRK to expand its airport operations and accommodate more international flights from Qatar Airways and Emirates.
“We see Clark International Airport as a premier gateway alongside NAIA [Ninoy Aquino International Airport] and Sangley, especially in view of its rapid growth over the past few years, as well as the government’s development plans for the entire economic zone and the rest of the region,” Abaya said.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency is currently working with DOTC on options for a new airport site, proposing Sangley Point in Cavite as an extension of NAIA.
DOTC said CRK’s new developments signal “even greater economic progress for Clark and the entire region in the coming years,” adding that it hoped the airport would become the LCC hub of choice in the region.
