Jetstar starts bookingClark-Singapore flights
CLARK FREEPORT — Jetstar Asia has announced a new direct service to Singapore from Clark International Airport (CRK), which is now the country’s new gateway serving northern Metro Manila and Central and Northern Luzon.
Starting November 28, Jetstar Asia will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between Clark and Singapore.
Francis Loi, Jetstar Asia Commercial head, said the new route will broaden the low-fares options for more than 20 million residents from the airport’s catchment population who are currently under ser ved.
The budget carrier first took to the skies in December 2004. It currently operates more than 600 weekly return flights to 25 destinations across 13 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
Bara Pasupathi, Jetstar Asia CEO, said the CRK-Singapore route would be the airline’s first services from Clark, considered as the complementary gateway to the Ninoy Aquino International (NAIA).
“Filipinos working in Singapore along with their family members will be able to travel on Asia’s best budget carrier,” Pasupathi added.
The airline was recognized as the top budget airline in a travel poll by smarttravelasia.com in 2017 after surveying more than 30,000 frequent travellers from Asia, China, US and Europe. It was also listed as one of the top 10 safest low-cost airlines in the world in 2017 by airlineratings.com.
“Low fares travel in the Philippines is booming, and these additional services give another Airport
option for direct services to Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond,” Pasupathi said.
The airline executive also said their new route will provide more than 410,000 seats a year in total capacity between the Philippines and Singapore.
Alexander Cauguiran, President and CEO of Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) welcomed this development saying that Jetstar’s business decision to mount flights at Clark is in recognition of the latter’s marketability and the increasing number of the airport’s local destinations. “The (CRK-Singapore) flights will definitely boost our operations as we are looking at more travellers who may now choose Clark to fly Jetstar,” Cauguiran added. The new service will be operated by Jetstar Asia’s 180-seat Airbus A320.
“Adding more than 56,000 extra seats in a year will be a step towards supporting the Philippine government’s agenda to ease congestion at NAIA,” Pasupathi said. Airline officials also announced special ticket sales from P1,000 via jetstar.com beginning August 15 to celebrate the new CRK-Singapore flights.
Clark airport’s catchment population consists of Regions I (Ilocos) at 5 million; Region II (Cagayan Valley) at 3.4 million; Region III (Central Luzon) at 11.2 million; the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) at 1.7 million; and the CAMANAVA area (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) with 2.8 million, totaling more than 24 million potential passengers.
CRK currently has 134 international flights and 104 domestic flights weekly and passenger traffic is projected to reach 1.5 million by end of 2017.