CLARK International Airport Corp. (CIAC), which operates the international gateway in Pampanga, said 2018 revenue hit record levels after the government encouraged increased use of the airport.
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) said in a statement on Tuesday that CIAC’s revenue rose 32% to P1.07 billion in 2018, exceeding P1 billion for the first time since CIAC was formed in 1995.
It noted that 47% or P502.8 million of the total was derived from air operations, while 53% or P568.7 million was generated by non-air activities.
“Numbers of airlines, flights, destinations and business activity increased ever since President Rodrigo R. Duterte called for greater utilization of Clark Airport. The marketability of Clark Airport and the civil aviation complex were keys to achieving this milestone,” CIAC President Jaime Alberto C. Melo was quoted in the statement as saying.
The government is seeking to decongest its main gateway, Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, by encouraging increased use of outlying airports. It is also in the process of developing with private proponents new airports in Bulacan and Sangley Point, Cavite.
“The continuing success of Clark Airport reflects the CIAC’s pursuit of higher standards of service for Filipinos. The challenge is to still do better and serve better,” Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade said in the statement.
Clark Airport currently serves an average of 11,500 passengers every day, flying on 246 international and 480 domestic flights.
CIAC has a target of 4.5 million passengers a year within three years, or by 2022. It said last year that the airport is currently capable of handling 2.6 million passengers annually. — Denise A. Valdez
