Preparations on for transfer of NAIA flights to Clark airport

Transition seen to begin in 2012

 

By FRED ROXAS, Manila Bulletin

CLARK ZONE, Pampanga — Preparations are under way for the transfer of international and domestic flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here.

Danilo Augusto Rancia, president and chief executive officer of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIACor), disclosed this information after he attended a meeting in Manila which was participated in by at least 60 top executives of major international airlines, including Lufthansa and Continental Airlines.

The meeting was called by the officers of the Association of South East Asian Nations Airlines Cooperators Council (AAOC).

It was predicted in the AAOC meeting that the full development of DMIA into an international airport would take at least six years and that the transfer of the flights from NAIA to DMIA would begin in 2012 earlier when the saturation level of DMIA is met, Francia said.

One reason for the transfer is that DMIA is four times bigger than 600 hectare NAIA.

Some of the projects being undertaken in the DMIA complex with R2-billion funding released by the Manila International Airport Corp. (MIAC) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), as approved by President Arroyo, are the construction of a modern passenger terminal, upgrading of additional runways and installation of the $11-million state-of-the-art radar system.

The installation of these facilities is expected to fully modernize DMIA and enable it to accommodate big aircraft.

Formerly the biggest American military airport in the Asia Pacific Region until it was dismantled in 1991, Clark zone was declared in 1997 by then President Fidel Ramos as the "premier international gateway to the Philippines."

Through an executive order, Ramos set aside at least 22,700 hectares of Clark zone’s 4,400 hectares for what is called the "aerotropolis".

Renamed DMIA in honor of the late President Diosdado Macapagal, father of President Arroyo, the airport has been developed to take in more international and domestic flights as early as three years ago upon the initiative of former Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president Emmanuel Y. Angeles and Executive Vice President Victor Jose Luciano.

 

 

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