Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD), operator of Clark International Airport, yesterday said passenger volume for domestic and international flights at the airport reached half a million in the first nine months of 2022, up 294 percent from a year ago.
In September alone, volume rose 397 percent to 66,159. In August 2022, Clark airport posted a 129 percent increase compared to year-ago levels.
The company said the scale of visitors entering and coming from Clark airport is on the uptick and that levels are seen going way higher in the coming months with the holiday season’s movements and with more people making travel plans. This and coupled with multi-sectoral initiatives such as reinvigorated hotel and sporting event promotions are among the developments taking place at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, the birthplace of the festive, multicolor Philippine Christmas parols or lanterns, and delectable cuisine.
Clark’s new passenger terminal building was inaugurated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last September in grand rites wherein he cited Clark International Airport as the “perfect example of what the government and the private sector can do.”
The new terminal was part of a P19.25-billion megastructure project undertaken by the Philippine government through the Public-Private Partnership model. It included features such as a road access network, horizontal developments such as taxiways and apron, and a transport terminal site, among others.
LIPAD said while most airlines drastically reduced their operations during the height of the global health threat in the last two years, Clark International Airport remained open to fully serve repatriation and other necessary flights.
LIPAD is a private consortium composed of Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc., Philippine Airport Ground Support Services Inc. and the Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Changi Airports International. The consortium members each have vast experiences in airport operations, air transportation and property development. – Myla Iglesias
