Clark seen to connect whole Philippines
CLARK FREEPORT — Philippine Ambassador to Switzwerland Evan Garcia said that Clark International Airport (CRK) will connect the whole Philippine archipelago.
Garcia issued the statement during the recent visit of Philippine diplomats abroad in a bid to promote Clark airport to various destinations in the country.
“Clark in the heart of Central Luzon will connect the whole country,” Garcia said.
Garcia and other officials made a walkthrough of the CRK’s major facilities as part of the group’s economic and cultural diplomacy tour which comes at the heels of the Economic Diplomacy Familiarization Tour of Cebu and the Global Conference of Heads of Posts in Manila.
Other ambassadors who accompanied Garcia include Jose Jimeno (Berne, Switzerland),
Rowena Sanchez (Ankara, Turkey), Celia Feria (Lisbon, Portugal), Junever West (Amman, Jordan), Maria Thomeczek (Berlin, Germany), Consuls General Teresa Dizon de Vega (New York, USA), Oscar Orcine (Manado, Indonesia), and Charge d’Affaires Elmer Cato (Baghdad, Iraq).
“We hope this diplomatic tour will help in promoting Clark airport in (the ambassadors’) host countries where thousands of Filipinos are located,” Alexander Cauguiran, head of the Clark International Airport Corporatiion, said.
Cauguiran gave the officicials an update on additional flights that are seen to bolster CRK’s connectivity with major destinations in the country.
Clark airport hosts the daily flights of Philippine Airlines to Caticlan, Cebu, and Davao, and daily international flights to Incheon in South Korea.
Philippines AirAsia’s has set thrice weekly Clark to Kalibo flights on March 27.
The flag-carrier is also set to launch its Palawan route via Puerto Princesa and Busuanga domestic flights by March 26.
CIAC officials also presented the Clark Airport Master Development Plan which includes the building of a new Passenger Terminal with an eight million-passenger capacity being implemented by the Department of Transportation headed by Secretary Arthur Tugade.
The CIAC chief added that the airport management seeks to maximize in the next two to three years the existing terminal with a capacity of 4.2 million passengers annually.
The huge market potential of CRK are travelers coming from Regions 1 to 3 and the Camanava area (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Malabon) with a combined population of around 24.2 million.
“Under Secretary Tugade’s direction, CRK will definitely help ease the congestion of Metro Manila especially if passengers from these areas will consider Clark as their airport of choice,” Cauguiran said.