Bigger passenger terminal in Clark nears completion

A bigger passenger terminal building in Clark that would help ease congestion at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is nearing completion and is on track to be opened this year.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the new passenger terminal building of the Clark International Airport has so far reached a completion rate of nearly 94 percent and is scheduled to be finished by the middle of the year.

The new passenger terminal building will triple the passenger capacity of Clark International Airport from 4.2 million to 12.2 million passengers annually.

The expansion is expected to help decongest NAIA, the country’s main international gateway, which is currently operating beyond its capacity.

“When the new terminal with a design capacity of at least eight million will be opened, all operations will transfer to it, then the existing one will be decommissioned. However, if the traffic will exceed eight million and no new terminal is built yet then option is to open the old one,” Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president Jake Bingcang said.

Construction of the new passenger terminal building is being undertaken by the consortium of Megawide Construction Corp. and GMR Infrastructure Ltd. of India.

The DOTr said site preparation works, earth works, foundation and substructure works, superstructure works, hollow core slab and the roof structure and sheeting have all been completed.

Ongoing works, which are in various stages of completion, include the exterior finishes, ancillary facilities, specialist systems and equipment, as well as the landside works.

“This development at Clark International Airport is seen not just to help ease congestion at NAIA, but also to generate various jobs and push for economic growth in North and Central Luzon,” the DOTr said.

The Clark airport averages around 11,500 passengers daily and registers 246 international and 480 domestic flights every week, according to the CIAC.

LIPAD Corp., a consortium composed of Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd., Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc., bagged last year the 25-year concession agreement for the operations and maintenance of the Clark International Airport.

The agreement includes the operations and maintenance of the existing terminal and the new terminal.