Budget airline hikes flights to Clark Field
By Joey Aguilar, Manila Times Central Luzon Bureau
CLARK FIELD, Pampanga: The arrival of more overseas Filipino workers (OFW) has prompted Tiger Airways to increase its flights to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here.
The entry of low-cost flights has increased the number of passengers arriving at the DMIA. For the month of April, at least 2,500 passengers have arrived since budget airlines, like Air Asia Berhad and Tiger Airways, launched their flights here.
Starting next month, Tiger Airways will increase additional two more flights a week at the DMIA according to Clark Development Corp. (CDC) officials.
Due to the 80 percent to 90 percent load factor of Tiger Airways, travel agencies requested the airline to add more flights, including Singapore-Clark-Singapore, to accommodate travelers especially OFWs working in different parts of Asia.
Ronaldo Tiotuico, Department of Tourism regional director, said the department is planning to put up more ecotourism activities in Pampanga, especially inside Clark, since more tourists are expected to arrive here.
“Clark Special Economic Zone is a good location for eco-tourism especially that the DMIA is located here,” Tiotuico said.
Antonio R. Ng, CDC president and CEO, said they had requested for travel tax exemption for residents of Northern and Central Luzon especially OFWs.
Passengers will be exempted from the P1,620 travel tax if they wish to travel to other Asian countries via the DMIA.
Ng said there will also be a one-stop-processing center at Clark for OFWs so they will not have to go to 14 government agencies in separate locations. The one-stop shop processing for the OFW will allow workers abroad to use Clark as their gateway to various countries in Asia.
Ng added that more flights will follow going to Middle East, Hong Kong and China via the DMIA.
“This is in support of the vision of President Arroyo to develop DMIA into a premier gateway in the country,” Ng said.
There are now four international airlines with regular flights at the DMIA: South Korea’s Asiana Airlines, which flies five times a week; Malaysia’s Air Asia Berhad, which has twice daily flights to and from Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur; Singapore’s Tiger Airways, which has thrice weekly flights to the city-state; and Hong Kong’s CR Airways also flies three times a week to the former Crown Colony.
United Parcel Service, which has established its Asia-Intra hub here since April 2002, also operates here.
Meanwhile, Holiday Inn Resort Clarkfield is now studying if it could offer budget room rates for passengers of low cost airlines.
Former chair of Clark Investors and Locators Association, Carmen McTavish, who also operates a travel agency in Angeles City, said she had set up a book-and-buy counter at the Four Seasons Restaurant to help interested tourists to book flights for Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong easily.
McTavish said since Air Asia Berhad of Malaysia, Tiger Airways of Singapore do not have ticketing offices in the country since all booking transactions could be availed using the Internet.
She said only a P300 service fee will be collected by travel agencies for over the counter transactions. Airline tickets are priced the same as online bookings
CLARK FIELD, Pampanga: The arrival of more overseas Filipino workers (OFW) has prompted Tiger Airways to increase its flights to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here.
The entry of low-cost flights has increased the number of passengers arriving at the DMIA. For the month of April, at least 2,500 passengers have arrived since budget airlines, like Air Asia Berhad and Tiger Airways, launched their flights here.
Starting next month, Tiger Airways will increase additional two more flights a week at the DMIA according to Clark Development Corp. (CDC) officials.
Due to the 80 percent to 90 percent load factor of Tiger Airways, travel agencies requested the airline to add more flights, including Singapore-Clark-Singapore, to accommodate travelers especially OFWs working in different parts of Asia.
Ronaldo Tiotuico, Department of Tourism regional director, said the department is planning to put up more ecotourism activities in Pampanga, especially inside Clark, since more tourists are expected to arrive here.
“Clark Special Economic Zone is a good location for eco-tourism especially that the DMIA is located here,” Tiotuico said.
Antonio R. Ng, CDC president and CEO, said they had requested for travel tax exemption for residents of Northern and Central Luzon especially OFWs.
Passengers will be exempted from the P1,620 travel tax if they wish to travel to other Asian countries via the DMIA.
Ng said there will also be a one-stop-processing center at Clark for OFWs so they will not have to go to 14 government agencies in separate locations. The one-stop shop processing for the OFW will allow workers abroad to use Clark as their gateway to various countries in Asia.
Ng added that more flights will follow going to Middle East, Hong Kong and China via the DMIA.
“This is in support of the vision of President Arroyo to develop DMIA into a premier gateway in the country,” Ng said.
There are now four international airlines with regular flights at the DMIA: South Korea’s Asiana Airlines, which flies five times a week; Malaysia’s Air Asia Berhad, which has twice daily flights to and from Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur; Singapore’s Tiger Airways, which has thrice weekly flights to the city-state; and Hong Kong’s CR Airways also flies three times a week to the former Crown Colony.
United Parcel Service, which has established its Asia-Intra hub here since April 2002, also operates here.
Meanwhile, Holiday Inn Resort Clarkfield is now studying if it could offer budget room rates for passengers of low cost airlines.
Former chair of Clark Investors and Locators Association, Carmen McTavish, who also operates a travel agency in Angeles City, said she had set up a book-and-buy counter at the Four Seasons Restaurant to help interested tourists to book flights for Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong easily.
McTavish said since Air Asia Berhad of Malaysia, Tiger Airways of Singapore do not have ticketing offices in the country since all booking transactions could be availed using the Internet.
She said only a P300 service fee will be collected by travel agencies for over the counter transactions. Airline tickets are priced the same as online bookings
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