Clark airport expansion hits 25% completion

THE BASES Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said the Clark International Airport expansion project has reached 25% completion.

“We have accomplished 25% of the Clark International Airport project as of this date,” BCDA’s Senior Vice-President for Business Development and Operations Joshua M. Bingcang, an engineer, said in a statement Monday.

Activity on the site will now focus on the installation of a modern roof structure, which is in the process of being shipped.

The glued laminated timber (glulam) and aluminum roofing to be used for the new terminal was purchased from Austria’s Rubner Holzbau, a timber engineering firm that builds structures for industrial and commercial buildings, shopping centers, educational institutions, facilities for sports, leisure and culture, residential buildings, and hotels.

The concession holder Megawide-GMR also ordered from Italy’s ISCOM SpA a 47,000-square meter wavy roof meant to reflect the Zambales mountains.

ISCOM specializes in aluminum alloy roofs and cladding. It provided the roof of the Mactan International Airport in Cebu.

Mr. Bingcang said the materials used for the roof are rated to withstand Category 5 hurricanes.

According to BCDA, the materials will start arriving in the country in two months.

“As the next premier gateway to Asia, Clark International Airport should be designed and constructed only by the best in the world,” BCDA President and CEO Vivencio B. Dizon was quoted as saying in the statement.

The first phase of the Clark International Airport expansion project is expected to be completed by June 2020.

The government has been positioning Clark as an alternative gateway to decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which has exceeded its passenger capacity. —