Delay of ‘open skies’ in Subic, Clark angers Neri
Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri expressed his anger on the managers of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) and the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) for delaying the open sky policy that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered for the two airports.
He told representatives of the two airports not to make their own interpretation of the word reciprocity in questioning whether foreign airlines that offer to ferry passengers and cargo in and out of the two special economic zones are qualified.
"Reciprocity," he said, "does not mean that if a Korean Airline has regular trips between Seoul and Clark, it does not follow that the Philippine Airlines will also be allowed to fly the same route, he told the airport managers."
The reciprocity comes in the form of bigger tourism traffic, and more investors going to Central Luzon that will boost tourism and investments in the area.
The action team had notified the National Competitiveness Council that mis-interpretation by airport officials of the presidential order to develop Clark as the new logistics hub in Asia, has delayed the increase of no-frills budget airlines into starting regular international flights to and from Clark.
The NCC explained that reciprocity would come in the impact of the open sky policy in the two airports on users and businesses and the employment and income opportunities by the bigger air traffic in Central Luzon.
Neri told airport officials that a boom in tourism and more frequent trips of OFWs using the two airports as a result of the open sky policy, will be more than enough to constitute reciprocity.
At the same time, the NCC decided to push for the lighting of four domestic airports in different parts of the country.
When consulted on the matter, the Air Transportation Office estimated that on the average, lighting a domestic airport to allow the landing and take-off of planes at night would cost about P150 million.
They were told that the airlines are willing to do the job if the government allows the investments to be later charged against their landing fees. Asked to identify the top priority airport, airport officials identified the Caticlan Port in Aklan which, if lighted, can increase overnight the tourist arrivals in Boracay.
By EDU LOPEZ - MB
He told representatives of the two airports not to make their own interpretation of the word reciprocity in questioning whether foreign airlines that offer to ferry passengers and cargo in and out of the two special economic zones are qualified.
"Reciprocity," he said, "does not mean that if a Korean Airline has regular trips between Seoul and Clark, it does not follow that the Philippine Airlines will also be allowed to fly the same route, he told the airport managers."
The reciprocity comes in the form of bigger tourism traffic, and more investors going to Central Luzon that will boost tourism and investments in the area.
The action team had notified the National Competitiveness Council that mis-interpretation by airport officials of the presidential order to develop Clark as the new logistics hub in Asia, has delayed the increase of no-frills budget airlines into starting regular international flights to and from Clark.
The NCC explained that reciprocity would come in the impact of the open sky policy in the two airports on users and businesses and the employment and income opportunities by the bigger air traffic in Central Luzon.
Neri told airport officials that a boom in tourism and more frequent trips of OFWs using the two airports as a result of the open sky policy, will be more than enough to constitute reciprocity.
At the same time, the NCC decided to push for the lighting of four domestic airports in different parts of the country.
When consulted on the matter, the Air Transportation Office estimated that on the average, lighting a domestic airport to allow the landing and take-off of planes at night would cost about P150 million.
They were told that the airlines are willing to do the job if the government allows the investments to be later charged against their landing fees. Asked to identify the top priority airport, airport officials identified the Caticlan Port in Aklan which, if lighted, can increase overnight the tourist arrivals in Boracay.
By EDU LOPEZ - MB
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