By Ric Sapnu/PNA
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga — Passenger arrivals at the Clark International Airport (CRK) hit an all time number of 2.5 million, the highest in the airport’s 23-year history.
Jaime Melo, president of Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), told the media in an interview on Wednesday that a total of 2,500,052 passengers was recorded as of 7:58 p.m. Monday.
“The highest record, so far, in the history of CIAC, which means more revenues for the government and more flights to come,” Melo said.
He said that this all-time high record was reached via Emirates Flight No. EK338 bound for Dubai.
Melo said by Dec. 31, CIAC is expected to tally in a total of 2,611,362 passengers.
“What was once relegated as just a dream for CRK is now working in full throttle. Since President Rodrigo Duterte called for the greater utilization of Clark airport in 2016, CIAC was able to increase flights and passenger volume and profitability has also improved commensurately, a huge improvement from three to five years ago with more airlines signifying to mount flights,” he added.
The average daily passenger volume at the CRK is 8,000, served by a total of 656 weekly flights, 202 of which are international flights while the remaining 454 are domestic flights.
The airport chief said the record-breaking figures are attributed to the Duterte administration’s full support, citing Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, whose agency oversees the airport’s operation, and CIAC’s parent company, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), headed by its president Vince Dizon.
Further, Melo said this year, CRK tallied a total of 242,840 passengers from May 1 to 31―the highest monthly total passengers recorded while the biggest number of travelers served in just one day was last May 26 at 8,662 passengers.
“The dream has further come to reality now that a new terminal building will be operational by 2020 and able to accommodate an additional 8 million passengers per annum,” Melo said.
By the end of the year 2022, CIAC’s target is to have 4,457,046 passengers flying via Clark.
International destinations from Clark include Doha and Dubai in the Middle East, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei and Singapore, while negotiations are ongoing for airlines to mount Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur flights, among others.
The airport is also connected to major domestic destinations including Cebu, Boracay, Bacolod, Davao and Palawan.
