CLARKFIELD, Pampanga March 28 – Philippine Air Lines (PAL) wants Clark International Airport (CRK) in Pampanga to become a major hub for the airline’s operations, according to the state-run Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC).
Speaking during the flag carrier’s inaugural flight to Busuanga on Sunday, CIAC President and CEO Alexander Cauguiran said that from a meeting with PAL executives last week, PAL President and Chief Operating Officer Jaime Bautista committed to set up an additional hub in Clark in two years.
“PAL already has a strong foothold of operations at Clark since December 2016, and by choosing Clark as another one of its bigger hubs, we are looking at PAL’s increase in commercial flights, especially domestic routes, in the next couple of years,” Cauguiran said, adding that this development will definitely boost the airport’s passenger traffic as well.
Cauguiran said PAL also committed to build its own passenger terminal building and a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility inside the Clark Civil Aviation Complex.
“PAL’S expansion (in Clark) allows passengers to experience our unique brand of service and ensures convenience and connectivity,” PAL senior vice president for airline operations Ismael Augusto Gozon, who spoke during the inaugural CRK-Busuanga flight, said.
The CIAC chief said his management team will soon start negotiations with PAL regarding their future plans for Clark airport.
Meanwhile, the flag carrier announced during its recent three-day expo at Bonifacio Global City that it expects the delivery of more new planes starting this year, with two new Boeing 777–300ERs set to arrive in December 2017 along with the arrival of the Q400 Next Generation turboprops for domestic flights starting July 2017, and the first of six brand-new A350-900s expected to arrive in 2018.
“Hopefully within the year, PAL will fly directly from Clark to the West Coast of the United States, initially in Los Angeles, a destination which will definitely create a positive impact in our efforts to improve CRK’s passenger volume,” Cauguiran said.
Clark airport hosts PAL’s Cebu, Caticlan, Davao, Busuanga (Coron) routes and international flights via Incheon in South Korea, along with the CRK-Puerto Princesa thrice a week flights which began on March 28.
By Dexter A. See
