Business groups back dual airport system

MANILA, Philippines – Private sector stakeholders, including two of the Philippines’ low-cost carriers, on Wednesday, July 17, urged government to formally adopt a dual airport system and speed up the development of the Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

At the same time, they cited the need to upgrade the congested and old Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila, the country’s main gateway.

Twenty-two business groups signed a declaration, “calling for the government to declare complete support and adoption of the dual airport system of Clark as the northern airport and NAIA as the southern airport of the Luzon island.”

“We are [also] calling for the government to fast-track the development of Clark’s infrastructure to meet current and future passenger, carrier and cargo growth,” the declaration read.

Aside from a dual airport scheme, the government said in April it was considering 2 other options in the country’s airport strategy – shutting down NAIA and making Clark the main gateway, and maintaining both airports while finding a replacement for NAIA that is close by.

Clark’s potential

A dual airport system will involve sending international air traffic as well as feeder flights between domestic and international routes to both Clark and NAIA.

Jeff Pradhan, president of Global Gateway Logistics City, one of the declaration’s signatories, said Clark has a lot of potential because of its huge land area spanning over 2,300 hectares.

“Secondary airports usually outgrow [old] ones because they have the space to do it,” he said.

The development of Clark will mainly involve the construction of an interim passenger terminal that has a capacity of 2.5 million passengers and eventually, a budget terminal with capacity of 10 million passengers.

Pradhan said Clark’s viability to meet the country’s growing aviation requirements is undisputed.

He said Clark has supporting road infrastructure and the most modern navigational equipment. The airport is also the fastest-growing in the country, registering 72% increase in passenger traffic and 44% jump in revenues in 2012.

Philippines AirAsia CEO Maan Hontiveros said: “Clark is really the airport of the future for the Philippines. It a great alternative. There’s a huge catchment in central and northern Luzon. There are a lot of our kababayans there to cater to.”

NAIA upgrade

However, Hontiveros pointed out that NAIA must also be upgraded.

“I believe in the twin airport concept… There should be development in both NAIA and Clark. Simultaneously,” she said. “I don’t think it’s either-or. These have to go simultaneously. Both have to happen and all these problems have to be solved in a holistic way.”

The government is exploring the possibility of building a new terminal worth P4 billion beside NAIA 3, which is operating at half capacity.

But Hontiveros said NAIA’s problem doesn’t just involve the terminals, but also the runway.

“A new terminal alone in NAIA will not solve the problem,” she said.

Philippines AirAsia, which operates out of Clark, signed a deal in March acquiring 49% of Zest Airways, which operates out of NAIA.

Local airline industry veteran Avelino Zapanta, former president of Seair Inc., agreed with Hontiveros.

“Clark has all the opportunity to improve and expand. But even if we have Clark already, Manila will continue to be a big problem because of its inefficiency. Manila cannot accommodate any new flights,” he said.

Rail vs bus rapid transit

A crucial ingredient in pursuing the dual airport plan is a transport system that will facilitate the transfer of passengers from Manila to Clark and vice versa.

A rail system connecting these points is necessary, former Transportation Secretary and now Interior Secretary Mar Roxas had said.

Clark is around 80 kilometers or an hour and 30 minutes away from Metro Manila. A rail project funded by China called ‘Northrail’ was supposed to be built to link the two points, but it was mired in legal, technical and financial issues.

In their declaration, the private sector groups said that while a high-speed rail system is welcome, Clark’s viability is not dependent on it. They said it takes a long time to build and is “extremely expensive.”

“Many major airports around the world do not utilize rail service during the airport’s initial phase of operation.”

The groups are lobbying for the rollout of a bus rapid system instead, saying this is “efficient and economical.”

Aside from Global Gateway and Philippines AirAsia, others that signed the declaration include low-cost carrier TigerAir Philippines, Qatar Airways, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Asia Foundation and Clark Investors and Locators Association. – Rappler.com