Construction of new Clark airport terminal to start Q2 2014

MANILA, Philippines – Construction of the proposed P7.2-billion budget terminal at the Clark International Airport will likely start in the second quarter of 2014.

On the sidelines of the press conference for the inaugural Dubai-Clark flight of Emirates, Clark International Airport Corporation president and CEO Victor Jose Luciano said the terminal is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2016.

The terminal, he noted, will have a capacity of between 10 million and 15 million passengers.

He added the government may fund the project or place it under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program.

The government has tapped Aeroport de Paris of France to undertake the feasibility study on the proposed terminal, Luciano said.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya earlier said the Aquino administration is pushing for the construction of the terminal to accommodate passenger growth at the Clark airport.

“The government is studying the concept of a low-cost carrier terminal at Clark Airport, because of its potential as gateway to the country,” Abaya said.

READ: NAIA and Clark: PH airport strategy to focus on both

The carriers that are expected to reap the benefits of the terminal project include Cebu Pacific, AirAsia Berhad of Malaysia, Jin Air of South Korea, Tiger Air Philippines, Asiana Airlines of South Korea, and Dragonair of Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific.

Expansion of existing terminal proceeding smoothly

According to Luciano, the ongoing expansion of the existing passenger terminal worth P360 million may be completed 6 months ahead of schedule. Construction started in July.

“The way things are going, the construction phase would be completed by December of this year, instead of the June 2014 deadline,” he said.

He said the expanded passenger terminal is designed to accommodate 5 million passengers yearly.

In 2012, the volume of passengers using Clark airport rose 71% to 1.3 million from 767,000 in 2011. – Rappler.com