Soon to be the country's premier international gateway. Post some info, renderings and pics here. Where have all our renderings gone?

Currently, UPS' Asia-Pacific hub is in DMIA and Fedex is planning to move there by 2007, relocating from Subic Bay.

Additional info:
- has two parallel runways capable of NASA space shuttle landings (one of only three in world)
- Facility can accomodate the A380 once completed
- Will be one of the largest airports in the region
- Final phase will have more than 100 gates
- Northrail commuter train will link it to Metro Manila

Here's something else related to DMIA, that is sure to boost its status and development:

Boeing eyes Clark Airport
Jakarta Post April 6, 2004

Manila: The Boeing Company is in talks with the Clark International Airport Corporation to set up a regional logistics and maintanance base at the former U.S military aribase north of the Philippines capital, an official said on Monday.

A delegation led by Roger Kip Taylor head of Asia Project Development for Boeing and including Col. Alexander Cox, head of strategic planning of the U.S Pacific command based in Hawaii has been negotiating with Clark's current owners.

Clark president and chief executive retired general Adelberto Yap said Boeing was looking at leasing some 80 hectars (nearly 200 acres) of what was once the biggest American base outside the United States.

The U.S government is funding a US$150 million modernization programmer for the Philippine armed forces and much of it includes maintaining the Boeing C-130 transporter aircraft.

Yap said talks were still in progress. (AFP)

--------------

Again, good news for Clark and our infrastructure!:okay:

great news! once the northrail coonects clark to manila, clark would benefit a lot.

Yep...Clark and Subic are the best place to invest right now. A lot of light industry companies are now locating themselves in Subic while 4 U.S call center companies have established themselves in Clark, creating 5000 jobs.

Asiana also have weekly flight from Korea to Clark....soon 2 Indonesian cargo carrier also want to fly there from Singapore (Repex and Tri MG)

I am wondering though, what will happen with NAIA if Clark is ready for operation?



:cheers:

We also do not know. I guess it will be the same situation as New York's JFK airport and Le Guardia. Its not really clear when the first phase of DMIA will be finished (my estimation is by 2008-2012) so NAIA will still have time on its own before that.

Honestly, I prefer Clark to be the main airport for Manila rather than NAIA, I was there last 2 weeks, the airport is so big, it has WAY MORE space compare to NAIA or even subic. NAIA, IMO is very close to the city and has limited capability to expand...especially when the traffic goes up in the next 10 years from now. Yet, Clark also can offer "express train" from Metro Manila to the airport, just like KLIA in Malaysia.


:cheers:

Honestly, I prefer Clark to be the main airport for Manila rather than NAIA, I was there last 2 weeks, the airport is so big, it has WAY MORE space compare to NAIA or even subic. NAIA, IMO is very close to the city and has limited capability to expand...especially when the traffic goes up in the next 10 years from now. Yet, Clark also can offer "express train" from Metro Manila to the airport, just like KLIA in Malaysia.
And like the Narita express in Tokyo. (FYI, Tokyo has two airports... Narita can be compared to Clark because it's far from Tokyo. Haneda can be compared to Naia because it is very near Tokyo). Narita is for international flights. Haneda is for domestic flights. I do hear people complaining that Narita is too far. It can cost you a considerable amount of money just to get there.

actually there was a controversy few years ago either to build the new terminal in manila or clark. i personally though they should have build the new terminal in clark because once the boeing start producing their new and bigger passenger plane, i read that NAIA runway could'nt accomodate it.

few years ago i read an article that a thai firm showed interest on building a new terminal in clark (BOT), i think i might still have the renderings in the Phils. it looks awesome and huge!

the gov't should rush constructon of the northrail so clark and manila would be connected.

I never even knew that they were actually planning to build a huge terminal at DMIA. I wanna see some renderings though... from Edmundtanso's post, it sound real nice! I thought the plan was junked after they pushed through with NAIA 3 and that GMA just started a program to upgrade some of the existing terminal. it would be nice to move the main airport to Clark and turn the entire NAIA into domestic terminals to prop up tourism within the country.

and the boeing plan sounds great! nice to see that foreigners are actually still planning to invest in the country vis a vis all the things going on with the elections. hope it pushes through...!! that would do great for the economy!!

Clark as the new international hub, would take a longer time than ryan expects imo, maybe 2015 at the very least. remember, NAIA3 is still there to be opened. and there's also a lot of factors in moving the int'l terminal of MM there.

yeah, I guess so... the Northrail has to be completed first, along with the NLEX and maybe even the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway in order to accomodate passengers coming to Manila. maybe arroyo is planning to move the airport there, which is why all these projects are in the works... hahaha!

absent-minded
well, the rendering and article was like 5-6 years ago, during ramos term. i think it was junk because the gov't decided to build the new terminal in manila.

i would check my stuff and see whether i have that article here or phils.

im not against this but i like NAIA3 to open first. at least that one is just waiting to be opened.

Clark as the new international hub, would take a longer time than ryan expects imo, maybe 2015 at the very least. remember, NAIA3 is still there to be opened. and there's also a lot of factors in moving the int'l terminal of MM there.

I said phase I;) The next few phases might take place 2020 and beyond.

Of course NAIA 3 will open first. And i dont think the "whole" airport will move to clark from NAIA. Like i said it will be a JFK/Le Guardia and Haneda/Narita type situation.

I agree with Absent's thoughts. The highway and northrail projects are really to back up Clark and Subic's development which includes this new airport.

i guess what will happen to Clark in the next 10 years is anyones gues...i dunno what will happen to it. isnt it already occupied by PAF?

some related news ive saved long before...

Philippines wins bid to host $450-M FedEx hub
Posted: 0:37 AM | Apr. 01, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback


FEDERAL Express, which currently operates a regional hub in the Subic Freeport west of Manila, has decided to stay in the Philippines, choosing the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila over Guangzhou, China, as the site of its new 450-million-dollar cargo hub for the Asia-Pacific region, an official said Wednesday.

Adelberto Yap, president and chief executive officer of the Clark International Airport Corp., said he would lead a Philippine team that would sign a 25-year lease agreement with FedEx officials at the company headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 11.


FedEx will lease a 50-hectare government property in Clark where it will relocate its regional hub when its contract with Subic authorities ends in 2007, Yap said.

Subic has been the FedEx Asia-Pacific hub for eight years, but limitations there in terms of space for expansion had prompted the US freight carrier to consider moving to the 18-billion yuan airport in Guangzhou. Two FedEx aircraft crashed in Subic waters because of runway miscalculation.

From Subic, where it set up its regional hub in September 1995, FedEx can connect with 19 key Asian cities. From the international airport in the former American naval base, it can make overnight delivery of cargoes from Manila, Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and East Timor to the US West Coast.

Clark is also a former US military base. The Philippine government has adopted an "open skies" policy for cargo at both Clark and Subic.

Yap said that for a smooth transition, FedEx would scale down its Subic operations gradually and begin building the Clark facility soon so it could transfer operations there two years before the Subic contract expires.

"Building the new Clark facility would entail about 450 million dollars in investments from FedEx," Yap said.

"I think FedEx chose the Philippines over China because of the ease in doing business in the country aside from our skilled yet cheap labor that could easily adopt to the American way," he said.

Another advantage is the existing two-runway airport in Clark built by Americans when Clark was a US Air Force base, Yap said. The runway would allow FedEx to operate from Clark immediately.

"FedEx has to leave Subic because it can no longer expand in the area," Yap said. "Subic is primarily for port terminals."

Local airlines have accused FedEx of operating illegally in the Philippines, alleging that it and United Parcel Services operate on the basis of a "seventh freedom" right that they say the Philippine air service agreement with the US does not provide.

Yap said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's signed Executive Order 253, which provides for an "open skies" policy on cargo flights at Subic and Clark, gives freight carriers a solid basis to operate here.

FedEx signed letter of intent last year with the Guangzhou Airport Authority, saying that "as part of our normal long-term planning process, we are exploring a number of opportunities to further grow our business in Asia." It added, "We are in the very early stages of evaluating possible expansion locations and no decision has been made."

FedEx is represented in the Philippines by Airfreight 2100, of the Lina Group of Companies.

FedEx handles 3.3 million packages nightly, employs over 200,000 people, and serves more than 200 countries. Its planes log mileage equivalent to making 100 trips around the earth in a day. With INQ7.net

I read another article on ABS-CBN News the other day (sometime after April 1) with FedEx replying to this announcement by Clark that it was still taking time to choose between the two and that Guangzhou was still a probable site for an Asia-Pacific hub after 2007... some reporter sent a letter to confirm Yap's announcement and FedEx replied with that.

Hope they'll consider Clark over Guangzhou even with the huge, brand new terminal there.... I heard that the DMIA complex still has so much room for expansion - with less than 2% of the area currently being used today. that is a lot of room for that 100-gate terminal plus both FedEx and UPS hubs and more... I wish that aerocity (what was it called again??) thing at Clark will push through soon...

aerocity? first time to hear that.

I read another article on ABS-CBN News the other day (sometime after April 1) with FedEx replying to this announcement by Clark that it was still taking time to choose between the two and that Guangzhou was still a probable site for an Asia-Pacific hub after 2007... some reporter sent a letter to confirm Yap's announcement and FedEx replied with that.

Hope they'll consider Clark over Guangzhou even with the huge, brand new terminal there.... I heard that the DMIA complex still has so much room for expansion - with less than 2% of the area currently being used today. that is a lot of room for that 100-gate terminal plus both FedEx and UPS hubs and more... I wish that aerocity (what was it called again??) thing at Clark will push through soon...
clark has so much room. thanks to the huge central luzon plains. not like subic which is surrounded by mountains.

well Guangzhou have very good infrastructures constructed or under construction. that's why the gov't should do the phase 1 & 2 of nothrail at the same time. this would be good for FedEx beacuase they see a lot of advantages for them to grow.

i still do hope that they've decided to pick clark already/

aerocity? first time to hear that.

same here. havent heard of an aerocity before.

oops... I think it was aerotropolis or something. I read it the other day in an ad by this NGO that was against PAL's call to refrain from signing the open skies cargo agreement with s'pore and a few other countries. they wanted to open up Clark to more flights from different countries cause they want to turn it into a major asian hub. that would be nice but they would have to find ways that would first be able to support our local aviation industry before letting foriegn carriers eat up a huge piece of it....

They have chosen Clark over Guangzhou already. I read it in an article a few days ago. :)

Yeah, DMIA have tons of room. They can easily expand to one of the largest airports in the world (thats after many decades from now). Phase I afterall, is quite massive.

UPS airs concern on FedEx entry into Clark
Posted: 11:35 PM | Apr. 01, 2004

UNITED Parcel Service (UPS) is concerned that a recently announced plan to transfer the Asia-Pacific hub of Federal Express Corp. to a government site in the Clark Special Economic Zone, north of Manila, will cause air traffic congestion and adversely affect UPS' operations there, UPS Philippines managing director Hidenori Aritake said.

"We see minor technical issues," Aritake said. "The airport might be congested. The potential issue might be the landing and takeoff traffic. We're just concerned that there might be delays in our flights."


FedEx is to sign a 25-year lease agreement on April 11 with the Clark authorities for its new 450-million-dollar regional cargo hub region. It will relocate its facility to Clark once its contract with the authorities of the Subic Freeport, west of Manila, expires in 2007.

Clark International Airport Corp. president and chief executive officer Adelberto Yap said he was confident Clark's Diosdado Macapagal International Airport would have enough space to accommodate new players such as FedEx.

"Space is the least of our problems," Yap said. "The Clark airport has a land area of 2,750 hectares. So far, only 200 hectares are occupied."

Clark is currently the hub of UPS Philippines and local airline Asian Spirit. South Korea's Asiana Airlines flies to Clark five times a week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
oops... so only a little less than 10% is currently being used. if Boeing moves, it'll take up some 80 hectares - so that would be little more than 10%... lots and lots of room for that 100-gate terminal. hopefully, something as big as Thailand's new airport...

Boeing seen putting up facility in Clark
Posted: 1:01 AM | Apr. 05, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

BOEING Co., the world's largest aircraft maker, is holding exploratory talks with Clark Airport authorities for a possible lease agreement over an 80-hectare government property in the former US military air base.

Government officials said Boeing was scouting for a space to house its regional maintenance facility.


Putting up a regional logistics and maintenance office in Clark is becoming very attractive to the US firm due to its proximity to potential clients like the Philippine government and two foreign cargo carriers, the official said.

Adelberto Yap, president and chief executive officer of the Clark International Airport Corp., said the US aircraft manufacturer would like to cash-in on the more than $150 million in US government funding for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Part of the US assistance covers the repair of local military aircraft like C-130s, which Boeing wants to undertake.

If Boeing's plans push through, the US firm's investment could equal the estimated $450 million that Federal Express would be spending for the building of its Asia Pacific hub in Clark, according to Yap.

"Boeing is also interested in servicing the aircraft of FedEx and UPS (United Parcel Service)," said the Clark airport official. FedEx and UPS, two of the world's biggest freight carriers, have existing regional facilities in the Philippines.

Yap said executives from Boeing's headquarters in Seattle were expected to arrive after the Holy Week holidays to inspect the site, specifically the east wing of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

"Boeing wants to build its logistic maintenance center on the east side wing. It is interested in about 80 hectares of the property there," said the Clark airport president.

Yap is scheduled to fly to Memphis, Tennessee, to sign a 25-year lease agreement with FedEx officials on April 11. FedEx is leasing a 50-hectare property in Clark where it will put up a $450-million facility that will become Fedex's regional hub once its 12-year contract with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority expires in 2007.

The airport official said FedEx had chosen Clark over the 18-billion yuan airport in Guangzhou, China as the site of its regional facility after 2007. FedEx plans to start moving in to the Clark property before 2007 while it is gradually scaling down operations in Subic, Yap said.

Clark airport has two parallel 3.2-kilometer runways that can accommodate the largest commercial and military aircraft in the world.

The airport, named after president Diosdado Macapagal, also has an existing passenger terminal that can serve 500 passengers per hour or 1.5 million passengers yearly.

The International Civil Aviation Organization said Clark airport met international standards.

Yap said that FedEx's decision to retain its Asia Pacific hub in the Philippines would not only give the government millions of pesos in revenue yearly from the lease arrangement and taxes but would also create employment and opportunities for the economy.

Subic Bay became FedEx's Asia Pacific hub in September 1995. The facility connects with 19 destinations worldwide. It allows the company do overnight deliveries to the US West Coast from Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and East Timor.

Atlanta-based UPS invested $300 million in 2002 to put up its Asian hub in Clark. UPS delivers packages from Clark to Malaysia, Thailand, China, Singapore, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Taipei.

But FedEx and UPS' local operations have been faced with a lot of controversies as local airlines accused the US carrier of operating illegally in the Philippines. FedEx as well as United Parcel Services allegedly operate on the basis of the so-called 7th freedom right that the current air agreement with the US does not provide.

But Yap said that Executive Order (EO) 253 issued by Malacañang in late 2003 gave freight carriers solid legal ground for their local operations.

The EO liberalizing the cargo operations of Clark and Subic is strongly opposed by employees of the country's flag carrier.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
hope Boeing makes its decision soon... we would have 3 major players at the DMIA then - meaning bigger chances of finally putting up that terminal in a few years...

:applause::applause: All very good news! Will bring in a lot of $$$ into the region as these are big investments... I agree, all these operations will make the terminal project happen sooner. It would help if northrail was already operating to back up these investments.

Wow! DMIA is a large area! Sooo much space for a massive airport to be built!:)

This the artist's rendering?
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid112/p331ebd7c578604993a6519d55ca9b912/f9019817.jpg

SunKing... welcome to the boards! Are you new here?

Anyway, can you please insert the URL of that rendering? Where in the internet did you find it??? Hehehe... Tried searching with Google but never came up with nothing. Would love to see a rendering of the future DMIA!! Haven't even seen the existing one.

Thanks!!!

Welcome to the forum, SunKing!:) I edited your post so that we can see the picture. Great! Looks awesome in that rendering, i believe i have already seen that rendering in the newspaper a few years ago. I've also seen different renderings. But they are all great, all massive! thanks:)

However, i prefer if they dont make the design of the terminal straight/flat. It is better to make it have a spyder type design so that there will be more gates in a smaller area.

yeah, i remember that in the early days of ssc.

sweeeeet!!! i count 26+ gates... and that building in the upper, right corner looks like the NAIA 3 terminal! maybe they planned two or more termials for DMIA. that would hav been fuckin awesome!!! why'd they have to build at NAIA???? well.... at least it's better than nothing (which is what we're getting ryt now...)

Yep, I'm new here! Thanks for fixing the post, GreyX! I love the discussions here!

btw... if that building really was supposed to be the same NAIA 3 terminal we have now - it looks hella small when sized up to that huge, curved terminal!! hehehe.... that would've been cool if they expanded that terminal to the left side to form a U shape with an entry ramp running around the entire inner circle and gates lined up accross the entire outer ring!! then they would just have to build a few pedestrian skywalks or underground walkways to get accross each side... or if they have a mini subway running around it and then out to connect with Northrail!!

that rendering of proposed clark airport was in the paper atleast 5 years ago. beleive it was suppose to be a BOT by a thai firm but it was junked because they decided to build the new terminal in MM.

good new for clark! i hope boeing relocate there, that should create more jobs.

Although nice, i think that design will no longer be used. I've seen other renderings that have a higher chance of being used. And they are better coz the gates are in a long, single line.

before we start talking about the new int'l terminal in Clark we have to consider a lot of factors.

before we start talking about the new int'l terminal in Clark we have to consider a lot of factors.

such as?

hm... I dunno. to me, the most important thing would be to create and sustain effective and efficient modes of transportation from Clark through to and past Manila. since many parts of Southern Luzon are already picking up on economic development, they'll have to think up some way of quickly bringing people not only to Manila but all the way down to Alabang either through highways or railways. the SLEX and NLEX are great starts. they just have to keep them working and maintain them in good condition. good thing the extension of the NLEX and construction/upgrading of the North and Southrails are finally being seriously worked on. is anything happening on the SLEX? does the NLEX curently go to Clark - or is that what they're trying to do now?

i guess they'd also have to do studies on whether moving to Clark would benefit or hurt the country's avaition industry. and if it's worth it at all. funny though... cuz at the same time they're doing those projects, they're also building interchanges going to NAIA. i think the move to Clark won't be til another good 10-15 years. and maybe they'd keep NAIA open as a domestic and alternate int'l airport.

no... actually, everything looks pretty vague and unclear right now... to early to tell. we'll just have to wait and see... i'd still like to see a huge SEAsian hub at Clark though.... but only time will tell...

that is very interesting our clark becoming the site of regional hubs of major world air freight carriers like dhl, ups and aircraft manufacturer like boeing, i hope others will follow and put up their regional hubs and facilties in clark airport, billions of dollars invested by these companies, its abt time the governement should take seriously at the potentional of clark becoming a major international airport facility in asia

such as?


-connection Manila to Clark by rail
-connection Manila to Clark by road
among some

also some questions
-is it really required
-would it profit, rather than losing money?
-you already have an int'l terminal in NAIA, why build one in Clark.

i don't think the government is thinking about this right now. and i'm still also looking for a good rendering of this future airport in the net. that scanned pic is old

-connection Manila to Clark by rail
-connection Manila to Clark by road
among some

also some questions
-is it really required
-would it profit, rather than losing money?
-you already have an int'l terminal in NAIA, why build one in Clark.

i don't think the government is thinking about this right now. and i'm still also looking for a good rendering of this future airport in the net. that scanned pic is old

connection Manila to clark by rail - Northrail which is currently u/c
connection Manila to Clark by road - NLEX, upgrades almost completed
(part of the reason behind these projects are to support the Clark airport and investment to flow into clark and subic)

required? Yes, possibly. NAIA is terribly congested already and is in a very crowded area.

profit? Depends. If the government and lure more investors like UPS, Fed Ex, Boeing, etc into the airport they will definitely profit. If they can make it a hub for SEA flights bound for North America then that is additional profits.

Why? Like i said, NAIA is very congested and is unsafe already. It is too close to the city and is surrounded by informal housing. NAIA has only one major runway instead of two. (it has two, but forms a cross instead of a parallel formation)

Lastly, although quite far from the center of MM, Clark is in an ideal location as it is right in the middle of Subic and Metro Manila. Subic will become an important frieght port and industrial zone. Clark is also an investment center.

One more thing i would like to add, this will relieve MM from traffic congestion, pollution, overcrowding as the main airport will be out of town and Clark, Subic and the surrounding areas will grow, providing employment to the people in the area. This will lessen the inflow of people going into MM as there is an alternative area of opportunity.

great ideas, GreyX. I can agree with everything you've said there. I also agree with Renell's view that the gov't still has to work out major factors that affect this relocation.

to me, the relocation of Luzon's major int'l airport isn't really the big thing on the government's mind, but instead the move of the major airport to further push the government's plans of extending and expanding the current metropolitan area.

it is true that the current NAIA complex is awfully crowded and there is no longer any room for future expansion - this further strengthens the need for a larger area no longer available in urban Metro Manila. if we can see, many other developing/developed Asian cities have either long ago moved out or are already moving out their major int'l gateways (both sea and sky) from the capital's center. probably to help the ailing overpopulation, pollution, traffic and growth concerns - common problems found in many of our neighboring countries and obviously our own. we should also see, however, that these cities, before daring the move, were able to provide the necessary infrastructure facilities to support the transfer. I believe this plan to relocate from the overly crowded NAIA to the larger, more open DMIA is a good bid by the gov't to follow suit - even as the construction of the new terminal 3 may have hampered plans (or not, if it was intended to be put to use as an intermediary facility for before and during - maybe even after - the move). the early, well thought planning of this relocation clearly coincides with the country's Mega Manila project. BUT, the government's highly probable failure to meet the many, still-lacking infrastructure needs (which, luckily, will not happen) may ultimately cause the fall of this massive, highly potential undertaking. thankfully, a handful of these needs - such as the earlier mentioned Northrail, NLEX, Southrail and air/sea port upgrades - are already being taken up by the gov't, as are other development projects by private subsidies. sadly though, the essential link that has been separating the northern and southern parts of this promising mega city has not been thought about, much less touched on. the one vital facility that can bridge this gap is the Skyway - which has been halted for so long already. on the bright side, railways to be provided by the Southrail and mass transit systems of the LRT 6 have been planned - though, again, implementation does not always happen.

in the end, I guess it all hangs on the political will and effort of officials we elect to run our government...

Exactly! Spot on, Absent...:yes:

while you're reasoning is completely right, i still don't see an huge int'l terminal in DMIA in the near future. planning could start in the next presidency around 2005, and i reckon it could finish before 2010, if not, could be opened during the early months of the next presidency.

We didnt say it would occur in the near future. We said that it will happen in the future due to our reasoning. It could happen in the year 2050 for all i care. But imo, it will happen quite soon due to the demand for a new airport and more space. Investors may need something to spark up activity in Clark and the airport should be an answer. Planning has started, but not finalized. I think it should be confirmed by the end of the next presidency and construction should start by the turn of the decade. But this will be done in phases, so do not expect a huge airport terminal to begin with. The end result is gonna be the stunning part.

so planning has started? man i missed a big part of this discussion :bash:

i think the dates i gave are the earliest time. remember NAIA3 is still there, and whether NAIA is crowded or not, it's wasting money if you're opening a brand new airport, then build another one a year later.

Supposedly... GMA already changed the name from Clark Int'l Airport to DMIA and there have been lots of proposals, planning, renderings that have gone out. I dunno if the planning stage is still on-going or if it is on hold right now.

Here's the DMIA runway as seen from space (~middle right side of photo); just look at the incredible destruction brought by the lahar and by the Pinatubo (1996 photo courtesy of clarkab.com):
http://www.clarkab.com/ck_phoabove001.jpg

wow! nice image. it's a good thing the runway was spared from the lahar.

wow, that's a lot of lahar.

never knew it spread to the sea... interesting

The straight lines you see that bring the lahar to the sea are the lahar megadykes built on the fast track soon after the Pinatubo eruption. Just imagine, if they weren't there the lahar would spread further over land.

oh right. thanks for correcting.

just how fast was this megadyke made? i've never seen a government project go fast.. lol:D

great aerial photo, thanks sunking.

since you guys mentioned the lahar going to the sea, did you guys know that pinatubo ashes made the sand around the vicinity sea very white and kiiled a lot of coral reefs? :bash:

well you can't blame anyone for that.. guess that's just nature

the thing in my mind is that if a major international airport is to be developed @ DMIA.. what about pinatubo? the next eruption? efforts to divert lahar would prob be much more costly in future than the implementation of whatever various phases DMIA and Clark have to go through (just look at the pic!!).. and with the "Mega-Manila" concept most prob becomin a reality, the movement of alot of people to the clark area would be dangerous for future generations, (pinatubo and lahar!).. i'm not a pessimist (i love the notion of a world-class international airport @ DMIA :D) but the govt should draw up a detailed emergency plan if its to expand more into Clark!

Awesome picture...the airport was barely spared...you can clearly see the parallel runways on that pic:)

@ renell and edmund, yeah its part of nature. Happens everywhere so its not our fault.

@ lumpia. At one point i was just as concerned as you. That is why i used to be against moving to Clark. Back then i wanted the new airport to go to Langly Point, as proposed by Ramos. But to think about now, Clark is a better move because it is already quite developed, and is developing quickly. The government already built megadykes as previously mentioned to divert the flow of lahar, so this basically saves Clark and DMIA. Pinatubo will probably not erupt for the next few decade if not centuries so the risk is not high. Should there be an eruption, NAIA is still there;)

How big is Sangley Point NAS anyway? I think it'll be better suited for cargo ops since I think SGL already has berthing facilities for ships. I think it's just slightly bigger than Cubi Point NAS in Subic.

Here's a 1960's-circa aerial of Sangley Point NAS:
http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/aerial2.jpg

Cubi Point NAS:
http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/sub_desktop25.jpg

Langley Point is too small to be an int'l airport, best to leave it as a PAF base. and maybe you can turn NAIA into a PAF airport too, when you move to Clark.

or the int'l terminal and the PAF HQ can be both in Clark.. but that's still far to happen.

Sangly point can always be upgraded and extended. But that proposal is now out the window and Clark is now the confirmed choice.

Awesome pics btw...

Are there any commercial airlines serving Sangley currently? And is that closer to Manila than Clark?

Sangley Point was abandoned way back in the 70s when the Americans left it. The runway isn't being used at all. My family used to live there and we'd go biking or fly kites on the runway. Sometimes people would use it for motocross or drag racing. It's a bit closer to Manila than Clark. It's very close to the Las Pinas area. But the traffic getting there is a bit worse.

i thought the PN (or was it the PAF, or both?) was using it? it's now named Cubi Point...

Wait isn't Cubi Point was in Subic? :?

Cubi Point is in Subic. It's where the Subic airport is. The Navy is using Sangley Point as a base, but they're not using the runways.

Clark Monitor
March 2004

P215M apron, ramp rehab at DMIA completed

Clark Development Corporation has completed the rehabilitation and strengthening of the 7-hectare apron and taxiway at the aviation complex of Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).
The newly rehabilitated taxiways and aprons could now accommodate wide-bodied aircraft like the MD 11 and Boeing 747. It can accommodate the 90-tonner, wide bodied commercial/cargo aircraft and 10 aircraft at any given time.
The airport infrastructure project was undertaken by RD Policarpio Const'n., Co., Inc. for P215.7M.
The project was implemented in order to enable the UPS to bring more cargo flights with heavier payload. UPS' Intra-Asian Hub mounts 16 flights a night.

Nice! It should also make it easier for Fedex to operate there in the future along with UPS. And for Boeing to set up its facilities.

yup! if FedEx decided to move in Clark in 2007, the subic port project is also (should be) completed..
i think CDC is planning to build the 3rd runway soon... :)

Yeah FedEx is moving to Clark:) 3rd runway? Cool. But is it necessary? I really hope they build the international terminal soon.

with FedEx moving in and UPS' increased cargo load plus the international flights..... i guess there is a need for a 3rd runway.... :)

the future looks bright for clark (este diosdado macapagal international airport). :D

Kralc.

will the third runway be as long as the other two? aren't the dmia runways some sort of special runways that can accomodate NASA shuttles or something?? what's the difference between that and any other normal runway??

Yeah, they were built long enough, strong enough and wide enough for NASA space shuttles. I dont know if the third runway will be the same.

ah, so they're building a third runway? cool :cheers:

i doubt it will be suited for space shuttles and NASA. after all, we don't have a space program:D i think it will be a "normal" runway, suited for 747's and such

Building a 3rd runway sounds like progress to me...:D

ah, so they're building a third runway? cool :cheers:

i doubt it will be suited for space shuttles and NASA. after all, we don't have a space program:D i think it will be a "normal" runway, suited for 747's and such

Yeah, the americans just made the 2 runways suited for Space Shuttles as a backup in case of emergencies. Now, we dont need that anymore so the third runway should be enough for 747s and A380s...

That 3rd runway's gonna be useful if FedEx decides to operate the A380 to its Asian routes.

FedEx ordered A380s? cool. Yeah, then a third runway will be very useful for both cargo and passenger traffic.

It was FedEx which practically launched the A380 Freighter program, UPS is interested in it as well.

is there a passenger terminal in Clark? if so, how big? i only hear freight airlines flying here...

There was the old Military Air Charter Terminal, here's a map:
http://www.clarkab.com/ck_map002.jpg
(http://www.clarkab.com/)

In 2000, the MAC Terminal had a facelift and it looked like this:
http://zcap.freeyellow.com/2000.2/howieterminal4.JPG
(http://zcap.freeyellow.com/)

Didn't Asiana have something going at Clark? And I thought 5J also operated/operates a flight or two from DMIA.

I've been to that terminal...actually just at the parking lot.:D

Yeah Asiana flies to Clark 2 or 3 times a week...im not so sure.

Well here's the parking lot with the most parking space available, perhaps for any international airport:
http://zcap.freeyellow.com/2000.2/howieparking4.JPG

as per my readings (not psychic huh.. :tongue2: ) on DMIA:
it has 2-3.2 km. parallel runways that can accommodate even the largest commercial and military aircraft in the world and has been declared Category I in the precision approach by the ICO.--- errr, am not aware of this category thing.... :lol:
Plus: it can accommodate 10 aircrafts (wide bodied MD 11/Boeing 747) at any given time...
The existing passenger terminal can serve 500 passengers per hour or 1.5M passengers annually. It has 9 check in counters.
______________ :)
whatever this press (praise) release means, i guess Clark is getting ready to take over NAIA in the future...
by the way, the paper also said that Asiana flies 5x a week in Clark and Incheon Int'l. Airport

Clark is getting another Runaway and Improvements!

THE GOVERNMENT is considering a 250-million-dollar expansion and upgrade of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila in next three years to attract more investors, including aircraft maker Boeing Co., Inquirer sources said.

With the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport mothballed indefinitely, the Clark airport is also the government's alternative site to support the requirements of Metro Manila.


A source in Clark International Airport Corp. said the government was holding exploratory talks with Boeing to convince the aircraft maker to consider Clark as a site for a maintenance and logistics hub it plans to establish in Southeast Asia.

More than 50 percent of the planes flying across the Asian region are Boeing planes, including those used by Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and freight carriers Federal Express and United Parcel Services.

The source said the discussions with Boeing were very preliminary but the government was already planning to borrow money to finance an upgrading of the Macapagal airport, which will include building another runway to accommodate more aircraft and expanding the hangar to attract maintenance service companies.

The government plans to borrow initially 70 million dollars from multilateral lenders to finance the airport upgrade, the source said.

The airport has two parallel 3.2-kilometer runways that can accommodate large aircraft and a passenger terminal building that can serve 500 passengers an hour, or 1.5 million passengers a year.

"Clark has to have another runway," said another source. The airport has to expand to accommodate the requirements of potential locators, including Fedex."

Cargo carrier and logistics firm Fedex plans to transfer its regional facility to Clark once its newly extended contract with the Subic Bay Freeport expires in 2010. It has reserved about 50 hectares of land in Clark.

Before the government firms up the expansion plans, Clark airport authorities want to solicit interest from potential investors in a kind of pre-selling.

Also on the list of airport's likely locators is Lufthansa Technik, which has reserved more than 50 hectares of land in Clark, a former US military airbase. With INQ7.net

Gov't considers $250-M Clark airport expansion
Posted: 0:58 AM | Jun. 09, 2004


Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback


THE GOVERNMENT is considering a 250-million-dollar expansion and upgrade of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila in next three years to attract more investors, including aircraft maker Boeing Co., Inquirer sources said.

With the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport mothballed indefinitely, the Clark airport is also the government's alternative site to support the requirements of Metro Manila.


A source in Clark International Airport Corp. said the government was holding exploratory talks with Boeing to convince the aircraft maker to consider Clark as a site for a maintenance and logistics hub it plans to establish in Southeast Asia.

More than 50 percent of the planes flying across the Asian region are Boeing planes, including those used by Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and freight carriers Federal Express and United Parcel Services.

The source said the discussions with Boeing were very preliminary but the government was already planning to borrow money to finance an upgrading of the Macapagal airport, which will include building another runway to accommodate more aircraft and expanding the hangar to attract maintenance service companies.

The government plans to borrow initially 70 million dollars from multilateral lenders to finance the airport upgrade, the source said.

The airport has two parallel 3.2-kilometer runways that can accommodate large aircraft and a passenger terminal building that can serve 500 passengers an hour, or 1.5 million passengers a year.

"Clark has to have another runway," said another source. The airport has to expand to accommodate the requirements of potential locators, including Fedex."

Cargo carrier and logistics firm Fedex plans to transfer its regional facility to Clark once its newly extended contract with the Subic Bay Freeport expires in 2010. It has reserved about 50 hectares of land in Clark.

Before the government firms up the expansion plans, Clark airport authorities want to solicit interest from potential investors in a kind of pre-selling.

Also on the list of airport's likely locators is Lufthansa Technik, which has reserved more than 50 hectares of land in Clark, a former US military airbase. With INQ7.net

hey Edmund.... you gotta look Carefully.. Look up ^ i already posted the same thing lol :P

looks like everybody is interested bout Clark's infra development...
check out clark.com.ph for more info and updates on CSEZ.. :)

it looks like it's going to be in much use in the future, though no passenger terminals, just cargo...

hey Edmund.... you gotta look Carefully.. Look up ^ i already posted the same thing lol :P

my fault. sorry, i didnt see your posting when i posted the same article :)

hehe No worries...


anyways it looks great for clark in the future. With Boeing looking at creating a hub in SEA here and renovations more positive things will happen to the people of Pampanga

Superb news!! Future is really great for Clark. I hope they build new runways, taxi ways, a modern international terminal(s) and other infrastructure soon.:okay:
Indeed, when Boeing invests in Clark, that should set things up for the future. UPS is already doing a well, with FedEx on the way.

could we soon see an expansion of the terminal there?

hmmmm... they can't even open NAIA T3 on time, i guess it would take a mere 10-15 years before grand terminals at Clark Int'l goes into construction.

i wonder if federalism will make a difference....

NAIA head urges full development of Clark airport
By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star 06/16/2004

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) general manager Edgardo Manda urged yesterday the full development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here, saying that the NAIA is "not technically ready" for new large aircraft to be fielded by Singapore Airlines by 2006.

"NAIA’s main runway 06-24 can absorb the impact of the double-decker Airbus 380, but the aircraft’s wing span is so wide that it would reach up to the taxiway. This means that all other aircraft would have to wait until the Airbus 380 has either parked or taken off, thus resulting in flight delays," Manda told The STAR. He met the manufacturers of the large aircraft last week

As a temporary measure, the NAIA is set to bid the rehabilitation of runway 13-31, but merely to provide enough taxiway room to the Airbus 380.

The project, which will be bid out within the next 60 days, will cost some P300 million.

Still, the Airbus 380’s wing span would prevent it from being connected with the passenger terminal through an aerobridge so it would have to be parked in a "remote" area within the NAIA, Manda said.

"This would cause some inconvenience to passengers since it would take about 30 minutes for them to reach the passenger terminal," he said.

Manda, however, said that some airports abroad, particularly in Los Angeles, are also confronted with similar problems.

He said he is not aware of other airlines planning to launch the Airbus 380 in the coming years.

"We simply do not have enough space for the development of another runway at the NAIA," he said.

He lamented that the mothballed Terminal 3, which could otherwise provide enough space for the Airbus 380, could not be operated due to controversies surrounding it.

"This is one reason why we want to fully develop the DMIA as soon as possible," he said.

He noted that the NAIA, in a memorandum of agreement with the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), has assumed planning, management and operation of the DMIA.

He said the DMIA, which covers some 2,500 hectares, has two runways, each 3.2 kilometers long. However, its passenger terminal, left behind by the US Air Force when it abandoned this former military base in 1991, can accommodate only about 1.5 million passengers a year.

The government is also developing a modern railway system between Clark and Metro Manila to complement plans to transform the DMIA into a premier international airport, as mandated by an executive order issued by former President Fidel Ramos in 1994.

A Chinese consortium is doing the project, which also involves relocating tens of thousands of families living along the old railway tracks of the Philippine National Railways which will be used for the project.

Manda said the NAIA has also become overcrowded, with five to eight percent growth in passengers annually.

"We used to have 4.5 to five million passengers annually, but now we process about seven million," he said.

He also noted an increase of about seven percent in aircraft movement at the NAIA.

hmmmm... they can't even open NAIA T3 on time, i guess it would take a mere 10-15 years before grand terminals at Clark Int'l goes into construction.


Ok if I can survive waiting for NAIA 3 to open, I guess I can survive waiting another 10-20 years until we see a world class DMIA. :D

let's just pray that these plans will push through as soon as possible. NAIA had already reached its limits. when I went home last May, grabe, sobrang gulo sa arrival area ng terminal II. i don't know if there's a system but I just don't get it... imagine if you are a foreigner who's not used to these kind of "disturbances" eh shock talga ang maabutan mo...

yeah our terminal is a mess....we need a better one bad...

it's about time they gave thought on the A380... I think we desperately need NAIA-3 opened before 2006 or a new terminal (which, I doubt, we have the money for) to start construction at DMIA now.

absent-minded, i agree with you. i beleive this was the debate whether to build the new terminal in manila or clark long time ago. they should build it in clark and spend money for the infrastructures like speed train and better highways! sayang....hopefully the new president would get all this projects going!!!

Thanks for this article. Very interesting. Although it would be good if they upgrade NAIA's runways and taxiways to accomodate larger aircraft, it really is better to fully develop Clark Field. NAIA is already overcrowded. Good that they will upgrade NAIA as a short-term solution. But they should really look into Clark now. And lastly, this is one more reason to open NAIA 3!! So that bigger planes can dock into the terminal.


NAIA head urges full development of Clark airport
By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star 06/16/2004

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) general manager Edgardo Manda urged yesterday the full development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here, saying that the NAIA is "not technically ready" for new large aircraft to be fielded by Singapore Airlines by 2006.

"NAIA’s main runway 06-24 can absorb the impact of the double-decker Airbus 380, but the aircraft’s wing span is so wide that it would reach up to the taxiway. This means that all other aircraft would have to wait until the Airbus 380 has either parked or taken off, thus resulting in flight delays," Manda told The STAR. He met the manufacturers of the large aircraft last week

As a temporary measure, the NAIA is set to bid the rehabilitation of runway 13-31, but merely to provide enough taxiway room to the Airbus 380.

The project, which will be bid out within the next 60 days, will cost some P300 million.

Still, the Airbus 380’s wing span would prevent it from being connected with the passenger terminal through an aerobridge so it would have to be parked in a "remote" area within the NAIA, Manda said.

"This would cause some inconvenience to passengers since it would take about 30 minutes for them to reach the passenger terminal," he said.

Manda, however, said that some airports abroad, particularly in Los Angeles, are also confronted with similar problems.

He said he is not aware of other airlines planning to launch the Airbus 380 in the coming years.

"We simply do not have enough space for the development of another runway at the NAIA," he said.

He lamented that the mothballed Terminal 3, which could otherwise provide enough space for the Airbus 380, could not be operated due to controversies surrounding it.

"This is one reason why we want to fully develop the DMIA as soon as possible," he said.

He noted that the NAIA, in a memorandum of agreement with the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), has assumed planning, management and operation of the DMIA.

He said the DMIA, which covers some 2,500 hectares, has two runways, each 3.2 kilometers long. However, its passenger terminal, left behind by the US Air Force when it abandoned this former military base in 1991, can accommodate only about 1.5 million passengers a year.

The government is also developing a modern railway system between Clark and Metro Manila to complement plans to transform the DMIA into a premier international airport, as mandated by an executive order issued by former President Fidel Ramos in 1994.

A Chinese consortium is doing the project, which also involves relocating tens of thousands of families living along the old railway tracks of the Philippine National Railways which will be used for the project.

Manda said the NAIA has also become overcrowded, with five to eight percent growth in passengers annually.

"We used to have 4.5 to five million passengers annually, but now we process about seven million," he said.

He also noted an increase of about seven percent in aircraft movement at the NAIA.

absent-minded, i agree with you. i beleive this was the debate whether to build the new terminal in manila or clark long time ago. they should build it in clark and spend money for the infrastructures like speed train and better highways! sayang....hopefully the new president would get all this projects going!!!

Go to the "Clark and Subic: Tomorrow's Bright Future" thread, and you will be delighted to see what i posted there:)

Go to the "Clark and Subic: Tomorrow's Bright Future" thread, and you will be delighted to see what i posted there:)

that guy really should become the president...! he qualifies for our version of Malaysia's Mohammed and Thai's Thaksin....

Clark airport taps Japanese firm for $300-M upgrade
Posted: 0:06 AM | Jun. 30, 2004

Inquirer News Service


CLARK International Airport Corp., operator of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Pampanga province, north of Manila, announced it had tapped Japanese firm Pacific Consultants Inc. to help it draft a master plan for a 300-million-dollar upgrading and expansion of the alternative international airport to Manila.

The acceleration of the development plan for Clark airport, according to its president Adelberto Yap, followed the inclusion of Clark, a former US air base, and the Subic Bay Freeport, a former US naval base west of Manila, in the 10-point economic agenda of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for her new six-year term.

Yap said the master plan would include upgrading the passenger terminal in anticipation of increased passenger volumes.

It will also ensure that development of airport will be integrated with other ongoing infrastructure projects like the North Luzon Railway, the Clark-Subic highway, the Clark-Tarlac expressway, among others, he added.

South Korea's Asiana Airlines flies to Clark five times daily to bring mostly tourists.

Yap said he could foresee that overseas Filipino workers from northern and central Luzon would take airlines that use the Clark airport instead of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

He said Clark International Airport Corp. would need 70 million dollars for the first phase of upgrading the terminal and another 90 million dollars for the second phase.

Putting up a logistics and maintenance complex would cost at least 150 million dollars, Yap added. He said he preferred that such a facility be built by private companies like aircraft makers Boeing or Airbus or both.

The Clark airport sits on a 2,750-hectare complex with two parallel, 3.2-kilometer runways that can accommodate large aircraft. It also has a passenger terminal building that can serve 500 passengers an hour or 1.5 million passengers a year. With INQ7.net



copyright ©2004 INQ7money.net all rights reserved

South Korea's Asiana Airlines flies to Clark five times daily to bring mostly tourists.

The reporter doesnt have knowledge on aviation at all, Asiana only fly 2 times a week.....:bash:

It also has a passenger terminal building that can serve 500 passengers an hour or 1.5 million passengers a year.

again, the reporter failed to identity the news he/she wrote, whats the point building a terminal for only 1,5 million PAX? I am sure clark can acomodate more than 10 million PAX, even cebu mactan can accomodate 2-10 million pax.

cheers

The reporter doesnt have knowledge on aviation at all, Asiana only fly 2 times a week.....:bash:

again, the reporter failed to identity the news he/she wrote, whats the point building a terminal for only 1,5 million PAX? I am sure clark can acomodate more than 10 million PAX, even cebu mactan can accomodate 2-10 million pax.

cheers

err, I think Asiana increased it's flights (from 2 to 5) a few weeks ago because it's supposedly summer time in Korea right now. I'm not sure if the increase did push through though...

and yeah, DMIA is a very, very small airport that can only accomodate about that many people per year. it only has, what? three or fours gates? maybe even less. that's why right now, very few airlines fly there. the gov't is trying to transfer all major airline operations there sometime within the near future. that's why they periodically upgrade the airport to accomodate more planes and people. the major supporting infrastructure needed are still under construction....

anyway, good news for DMIA! $300M plus the $250M+ used a few months ago is equal to or more than the entire NAIA-3!! haha...! is this also being corrupted, or are they really trying to make it better than any other airport we've got? hehe...

DMIA can just eat NAIA terminal 1, 2, 3 when it finished, they even have more space after the terminal finished ! :D


cheers

DMIA can just eat NAIA terminal 1, 2, 3 when it finished, they even have more space after the terminal finished ! :D


cheers

yup... so much more room to expand...! NAIA is just way, way, way too crowded....

yeah.....hope they build more infrastructure and do it fast to connect manila to clark! can't wait for the northrail to connect to clark.

http://tinypic.com/3cw28

In association with Ogden Aviation Services, Marshall Macklin Monaghan undertook a master plan for the redevelopment of the former Clark Air Force base into the new Clark International Airport.

The plan provides for a 23-gate terminal that can easily be expanded to 81 gates in the future. Development also includes an extensive access road system, parking garages and a renovated cargo area able to handle seven aircraft initially. Also included were upgrades to the existing infrastructure to meet ICAO operational requirements, including a runway extension to 3,600 metres to handle B747-400 aircraft, taxiway improvements, navigational and visual aids, and a control tower.

Alternative plans were provided for the development of a third parallel runway to handle the increase in traffic were the facility to become the new Manila International Airport. The final Phase 1 and ultimate site plans were accompanied by a detailed report outlining the various features of the plan to provide an economical, fully functional airport in the shortest time possible.

---->wow.. 81 gates in the future... hay....

sorry to burst your excitement, but that proposal is old and could be one of the rejected ones. hehehe, in fact there are lots of proposals for the DMIA airport...all they have to do is actually start building on one of them.

hay nako GreyX... our country has so many projects... maybe only 1% gets on the way. right? :) damn

but for sure, there will be a new DMIA airport terminal, the design is just pending. I'd like them to have a really modern design with a sprinkle of pinoy in it. The one above is kinda plain and dull..it is more modern than NAIA 1, of course!:D

woo, that looks incredible :D wish that it goes well though...

looks good, but hopefully when they decide to build the airport, it would look more modern and sleek than that.....guess that was designed 10 years ago or so right?

where did you get that photo and info federal?

I forgot the site Edmundtanso... will look it up later.. :)

thanks federal..

bro, thanks for sharing that pic. ...im glad that there are plans like this!!im proud to be angelenos!!!

haven't seen that one before. or it is the same as the one in that newspaper article?

renell...i've posted that twice before the hack;)

renell...i've posted that twice before the hack;)

have you? i must have bad memory at the moment :bash: frankly i don't remember seeing it....

hehehe...its ok. We had tons of pics and info back then, some i dont remember.

renell...i've posted that twice before the hack;)

Yeah I remember seeing that terminal rendition at least once. Keeping my fingers crossed on hoping that this design dosen't get axed. :bash:

State-of-the-art radar to be installed at DMIA
By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star 09/10/2004

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The country will have its first state-of-the-art aviation radar to be installed here early next year.

"The new radar from Italy is now packed and ready for shipment here. It will be able to pick up aviation movements within a radius of 80 miles which is much wider that the 30-mile radius capability of radars at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport," said Adelberto Yap, Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and chief executive officer.

Yap said the state-of-the-art radar from Italy’s Alenea cost some $9.5 million.

The radar acquisition was initiated by the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), led by its president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Angeles, before the CIAC was revived to manage and operate the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the Clark special economic zone.

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) recently approved the training of 22 DMIA personnel in the handling of the radar by Alenea experts in Italy next month.

"It will take about 15 days for the radar to be shipped to the country. Then about three months will be needed to calibrate it before it can be issued an operational clearance by Alenea, the Air Transportation Office and the CIAC," Yap said.

In 1994, former President Ramos designated Clark as "the future site of the country’s premier international airport," alongside plans to built a modern railway system between Clark and Metro Manila.

Earlier, former NAIA general manager Edgardo Manda urged the DMIA’s full development, saying the NAIA is "not technically ready" for new large aircraft to be fielded by Singapore Airlines in 2006.

"NAIA’s main runway 06-24 can absorb the impact of the double-decker Airbus 380, but the aircraft’s wingspan is so wide that it would reach up to the taxiway. This means that all other aircraft would have to wait until the Airbus 380 has either parked or taken off, thus resulting in delays of flights," Manda said.

Manda said the 2,500-hectare DMIA has two runways, each 3.2 kilometers long, but its passenger terminal, left behind by the US Air Force which abandoned this former military base in 1991, can accommodate only about 1.5 million passengers a year.

The government is also developing a modern railway system between Clark and Metro Manila to complement plans to transform the DMIA into a premier international airport.

Excellent!:) Good that there are signs of development now, regarding passenger airtraffic. This radar should be the first step before a full scale construction of a passenger terminal. Hopefully the government is already planning on moving their global gateway operations from NAIA to DMIA.

by the time NAIA3 is opened to the public, it will only have 10-15 years before NAIA will become too small for the newer generations of planes. DMIA definately can handle those

I grew up in Angeles and even going in and out of Clark almost everyday so I'm excited if ever the DMIA is going to open...

Clark airbase to become major international airport

Updated 08:40pm (Mla time) Sept 11, 2004
Agence France-Presse



PHILIPPINE airport authorities said Saturday they will develop a former US airbase north of Manila into a major international gateway at the cost of at least two billion pesos (35.6 million dollars).
The former Clark airbase will be made into an international airport to attract low-cost airlines who wish to serve the northern Philippines, the Manila International Airport Authority said in a statement.

Clark, located about 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) north of Manila, will cater to tourists and businessmen and will focus on serving the many Filipino workers going to and from the Middle East, the airport authority said.

Airport authority general manager Alfonso Cusi met with Clark airport head Adelberto Yap to forge the plans for expanding Clark with the first phase of development taking at least two years and costing about two billion pesos.

Cusi said in the statement that the project would be financed by internally generated funds and "concerned agencies" although he did
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not give details.

The development of Clark would be in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's plans to decongest the Philippine capital Manila, which houses the country's main international airport, the authority added.

The sprawling Clark Airbase, once one of the largest overseas US airbases, was abandoned by US forces in 1991 after the eruption of nearby Pinatubo volcano damaged its facilities.

The Philippine government has cleared up Clark and turned it into a commercial airport and light industrial zone but despite its huge runways, it has largely been limited to handling domestic and charter flights.

Welcome to SSC Philippines, Culiat!:) Perhaps you can fill us in with additional Angeles and Clark info and photos.

Thanks for the news article, skylinepigeon:okay: I wonder when they will start.

A 5 year master plan for Clark
http://www.clarkab.org/maps/mainzone.jpg

A current Map of Clark
http://www.clarkab.org/maps/cezmap.jpg

so, do we expect to see skyscrapers in the central business district (pink) area? :)

well it does say Central Business, so expect big business going there. well at least if all goes into plan. but i don't see them making skyscrapers straightaway. maybe 5-10 storey buildings, then once it fills up, skyscrapers will come.

I saw some of their visions for Clark within 10years and i saw some skyscrapers but not that tall.

I saw some of their visions for Clark within 10years and i saw some skyscrapers but not that tall.
HI Culiat :D WELCOME to the forums! :D you saw a pic on it? :D:D is it possible to post it up? :D:D i'm curious: what DO they think Clark will look like? i mean, people predicted Ortigas to have only 5 or 6 scrapers max when it was first developed as a new CBD all those yrs ago, but look at the skyline there now ;) Judging form Clarks position on the Map and the advantage of good infrastructure and the Airport, who's to say how high a future skyline can be? ;) they may have to extend that CBD by quite alot eh! lol

so ppl, whats all the talk with Clark becoming the New Administrative Capital ppl? :D anong balita?

My Grandmother was the former 'Tourism Officer' of Angeles City; they worked with their counterparts in Clark. I'm not sure where I found those photos, maybe inside their offices, I don't really remember because that was a while back. I remember I have this 2000 edition of "the Greater Angeles Guide Book" and they have some pictures of what their vision for Clark is in the next 10 years… but forgetful me, forgets to bring the pictures; they're still in Angeles. Maybe in the future, Skyline of Clark would look amazing… did you know that the only reason why Americans chose that place, is because of the quality of the land?

About sa Administrative Capital isyu may bagong balita ba? tagal ko n kcng walang nadidinig dyan bata pako nun nadidinig ko sa dad ko.

About the quality of land, I read that Clark, well actually the former Ft. Stotsenburg, was the only place which had grass that didn't make the Cavalry horses sick or dead when they ate the grass.

From looking at it in the plan, ang liiiiiiiiiiit liit pala ng Clarklat the moment at ang liit din pala ng difference in five years. Gaano ba kalaki and Clark in terms of land area and populatoin? Lahat masiyadong compact, di pwedeng lagyan ng space distance sa bawat sectors?Sana maka expand naman ang Clark. Hopefully, the business center will consist of highrises compacted,then surrounded by ultra-modern low-rise buildings.Streets should be wide and more parks should exist and so forth. By the way, I like the term Fort Stotsenburg a lot better but Clark is also unique.

Kung titignan sa mapa maliit ang Clark pero belive me pag andun kana napakalawak nya and one morething pala Main Zone lang ang nasa mapa di kasali ung Sub-Zone na I think masmalaki sa Main Zone.

The term Fort Stotsenberg was in honor of Col. John M. Stotsenberg who was illed in action by Filipino forces under General Mariano Llanera in Quingua, Bulacan 1899.

The term Clark was in honr of Major Harold M. Clark a US army aviator who was born in US but reared in the Philippines he died in a seaplane accident in the Panama Canal Zone.

I'll try to post maps of the Sub-Zone

Clark's Main Zone is 4,400-hectare while the Subzone is 29,213-hectare

Hi,Culiat!Welcome to the forums!
By the way, how much is that in square kilometers?

hmm,
can Philippines afford something like this?
Shouldn't they invest money on something else?

4,400 hectares is equal to 44 square kilometers
2,9213 hectares is equal to 292.13 square kilometers

I hope my computation is correct.

wow...thanks for the planning maps. Gives us a better idea what will happen over there.

@ Triumph - Well that area is already pretty much developed. The runways are there, the roads and other infrastructure are also there. They were built by the Americans and the Ramos government. All they have to do is develop it further. And Philippines isnt that poor, they can do this. It is one of the priority projects to bring in tourists and much needed investment.

this is pretty much cool! i hope it will push through!Mabuhay Philippines!

wow...thanks for the planning maps. Gives us a better idea what will happen over there.

@ Triumph - Well that area is already pretty much developed. The runways are there, the roads and other infrastructure are also there. They were built by the Americans and the Ramos government. All they have to do is develop it further. And Philippines isnt that poor, they can do this. It is one of the priority projects to bring in tourists and much needed investment.

I see, thanks
philipines sure have some of the most amazing beaches .

MIAA allots own P1B for Clark’s 1st phase

By Sheryll C. Alhambra , Reporter

THE Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is shelling out P1 billion to jumpstart the development project of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the former military airbase in Pampanga this month.

The amount, which will come from MIAA’s internally generated funds, is half the cost of phase one of the expansion project of the DMIA, also known as Clark’s international airport, which is located in the space formerly occupied by the US-maintained Clark military airbase.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for September 28, after which construction is expected to begin.

In an interview, Alfonso Cusi. MIAA general manager, said the agency will be tapping government-owned and-controlled corporations (GOCCs) to invest in the project to make up the additional funding requirement.

Cusi in a statement said the government is “scratching the bottom of the barrel” to avoid borrowings.

He, however, said MIAA is not dropping plans to offer bonds to raise funds for the project.

In an earlier interview, Rober*to Castanares, Department of Transportation and Communications assistant secretary, said MIAA, having been granted full authority to supervise all international airports in the country, plans to conduct a $100-million bond offering to raise funds for Phase 1 of the expansion project.

Cusi said phase one of the expansion project would involve the construction of terminals in the 2,000-hectare Clark airport property.

Cusi recently met with Maj. Gen. Adelberto F. Yap, President of Clark International Airport Corp. to help formulate the plans and programs to develop the former American military airbase into a world-class international airport, a statement said.

The Clark expansion project will be implemented in two phases. Phase I is expected to be completed in two years.

Once it becomes fully operational, the airport aims to attract low-cost airlines carrying tourists and businessmen to the area. It will also open the airport to and from the Middle East, carrying overseas Filipino workers, most of which hail from Central and Northern Luzon provinces, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region.

Last month, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order No. 341, which modifies the powers and functions of the MIAA, giving it overall authority to exercise administrative supervision and control over all international airports in the Philippines.

Currently the country has eight international airports. Aside from NAIA and Clark, other international airports are located in Laoag, Subic Bay, Mactan-Cebu, Davao, General Santos, and Zamboanga.

hmm,
can Philippines afford something like this?
Shouldn't they invest money on something else?
well it can.. the Philippines has got decent infra (highways n roads, LRTs, Airports, Ports etc) and judging from all those scrapers of multinationals in Makati, Ortigas and elsewhere some people may suggest that despite the poverty problems, the philippines may have all the capital it needs to actually turn the country in to an MEDC..

but the explanation to why this has never happened to date comes down to one institution: "Government"

I hope GMA can turn things around the same way Ramos started to do: i mean she is an economist after all: no extra-generous "Bonuses" to govt officials from now on eh ;) :lol:

Plus thinkin about how big a job it is to manage, protect and develop a whole country scattered over 7000 islands: alot of the govt's budget are goin into numerous schemes all over the country :D its a good ting to develop a country equally all at he same time: but priorities must be given for these golden opportunities to quicken the MEDC goal deadline eh, and Clark and Subic are the best bets atm ;)

btw, not all of those 7,000 islands can be developed. only 4000 are named, and probably less occupied by a sizeable community.


you always have to expect some form of corruption from the government. the main thing is to reduce it to a minimum, and make sure no structural faults happen to the infastructure that was built.

Here's a different article about Clark's expansion, the previous post said 1B, and this article I found said 2B. Wonder which amount is true?

================================================================

Gov't sets P2B for 1st phase of Clark airport expansion
Posted: 2:10 AM | Sept. 14, 2004
Inquirer News Service

THE GOVERNMENT will spend about P2 billion for the first phase of the expansion of the international airport in the Clark Special Economic Zone, north of Manila, an official said Monday.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) will provide half of the funding needed, MIAA general manager Alfonso Cusi said.

"The project includes the improvement and upgrade of the passenger tubes, air bridges, ramps, cargo conveyors, among others, so [the airport] can handle a bigger capacity," he told the Inquirer.

"The order of the President was to develop Clark without borrowing [money]," Cusi said. "So we are getting the money from internally generated funds. Half will come from MIAA collections and the rest we would try to get from government agencies that are willing to help."

The MIAA is exploring the possibility of issuing bonds to government-owned and -controlled corporations to raise the funds, he said.

The airport, inherited from a former US military air base, lies on a 2,750-hectare complex with a 3.2-kilometer runway that can accommodate large aircraft. Its passenger terminal building can serve 500 passengers per hour, or 1.5 million passengers a year.

Executive Order No. 341 gives the MIAA full authority to supervise all international airports in the country, expanding its scope from just Metro Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport to include the airports in Clark, Subic Bay Freeport, and the cities of Laoag, Mactan, Davao, General Santos, and Zamboanga.

Cusi said he and Clark airport president Adelberto Yap had come up with a game plan to make the Clark airport world-class.

"Once fully operational, Clark International Airport aims to attract low-cost airlines carrying tourists and businessmen to the area," he said. "It will also open the airport to and from the Middle East, carrying overseas Filipino workers from central and northern Luzon and the Cordillera Autonomous Region."

He said the development of the Clark airport was in line with the government's plan to decongest Metro Manila and spur economic activity in the countryside.

With INQ7.net

the total cost is P2B. that first article above states that Manila International Airport Authority is providing for half the cost, or P1B, from internally generated funds while the second half (another P1B) will have to be sponsored by various other government agencies and such...

yeah, MIAA because

"Executive Order No. 341 gives the MIAA full authority to supervise all international airports in the country, expanding its scope from just Metro Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport to include the airports in Clark, Subic Bay Freeport, and the cities of Laoag, Mactan, Davao, General Santos, and Zamboanga. "

so now it's just MIAA by name, it's not really restricted to NAIA anymore

Awesome...i also read it on jakarta post that it the total cost for the first phase of DMIA is P2B. Very good news that they will start soon. Hope it doesnt become a NAIA 3....that would be hysterical.:D

Airport radar project approval stalled
The National Economic and Development Authority's Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) is withholding endorsement of the PhP513.7-million radar control project for the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), pending submission of a legal opinion on the contract awarded to an Italian firm.

The Cabinet-level ICC wants the Clark Development Corporation to submit an opinion from the Justice department concerning the legality of the contract award for the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) project to Alenia Marconi Systems S.p.A. prior to securing the approval of the NEDA-ICC.

"The project will be elevated to the NEDA Board for confirmation once CDC submits to the ICC-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC) the Justice Department's opinion on the project's contract award to Alenia Marconi Systems," Socioeconomic Planning secretary Romulo L. Neri said in a statement.

The NEDA Board's confirmation is required before CDC can fully implement the project.

CDC awarded the contract to Alenia Marconi Systems on September 26, 2003 after a public bidding, a year before the ICC gave its nod to the project. The bid price of Alenia was $9.98 million.

The ICC-CC reminded CDC of the interagency committee's standing policy that projects bid out without the necessary ICC approval shall not be binding. The ICC-CC issued the statement after CDC informed the NEDA through a letter in July that its Special Bid and Awards Committee awarded the contract to Alenia last year.

The project would be financed mostly by Deutsche Bank S.p.A through loans totaling $9.34 million.

The installation of a radar control project in DMIA in Clark, Pampanga is one of the priority projects of the Arroyo administration.

good news. i hope if they will built something new or remodel, it would be a world class design also!

@muzic_lover2981 - how recent is that article?

[PHP][QUOTE]@muzic_lover2981 - how recent is that article?

this morning lang!

@muzic_lover2981 - how recent is that article?

52 airlines awarded landing rights in Macapagal airport
By ANNA BARBARA L. LORENZO, Reporter

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) has awarded 52 airlines landing rights to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark Field, Pampanga, which will undergo improvement in the next two years.

Aside from the Clark airport, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro R. Mendoza said airports at Panglao Island in Bohol, Coron Island in Palawan, and San Fernando in La Union would be developed into regional airports to accommodate flights from Southeast Asia.

"In Clark, we have given 52 airlines rights to land. This has been the subject of talks facilitated by the CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board)," Mr. Mendoza said. He did not specify the origins of the airlines awarded with landing rights.

So far, only Asiana Airlines is using its landing rights to Clark as it charters passengers from South Korea.

"Kaya hindi sila nagla-land sa Clark dahil walang facilities plus ang connection sa Manila mahirap [The reason they don't land in Clark is because there are no facilities plus the connection in Manila is hard]," Mr. Mendoza said.

Clark will undergo a PhP2-billion expansion to turn it into a first-class international airport. The expansion will be in two phases, which would include the upgrading of passenger tubes, air bridges, ramps, and cargo conveyors.

The airport improvement is seen to be completed in two years. Mr. Mendoza said by this time, the construction of the North Rail project would also be completed, giving passengers landing in Pampanga better access to Metro Manila.

"We are already starting the construction of the North Rail. In two to three years, it will be completed, it time for the total utilization of the airport," Mr. Mendoza said.

The DoTC said the completion of the rehabilitation of the North Luzon Expressway by November would also help improve the connection between Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mendoza said the development to be made in three other airports would be done without local or foreign loans.

The PhP2-billion airport in Panglao will be funded by the Philippine Tourism Authority, while the same amount for the Coron airport will be sourced from the Malampaya natural gas income.

Mr. Mendoza said there was still no estimated cost for the San Fernando airport, which would just be upgraded, since the study was still on-going.

"These are regional airports. International standards but not as big as the international airports. All these will be completed in six years," he added.

The Philippines has eight international airports, including the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport. Others are in Laoag, Subic, Cebu, Davao, General Santos, and Zamboanga.

Excellent! this is just one of the steps into getting things started:okay: good that they are actually getting these airports built and are serious about it. I wonder what those 52 airlines are?:D

I cant wait for Panglao airport also. Bohol is really become a big tourist destination for the Philippines. And they desperately need a better, more modern airport.

Monday, September 27, 2004

GMA leads DMIA terminal upgrade rites
By Dante M. Fabian and Chris Navarro

* International gateway operations unfolding at DMIA
* Expansion to enhance capacity to accommodate more passengers

CLARK ECOZONE - Economic activity in the Central Luzon region is seen to experience an upsurge as officials initiate yet another move to transform the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) into the country's international gateway.

This, if the latest development in the airport - the expansion of its passenger terminal - would come soon after officials led by President Arroyo herself lay the time capsule for the project Tuesday.

The office of Alfonso G. Cusi, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) president, announced Sunday that the laying of the time capsule for the expansion of the DMIA terminal will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the DMIA Civil Aviation Complex.

Arroyo is scheduled to arrive at DMIA on Tuesday to lay the time capsule for the DMIA Terminal Expansion Project with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro V. Mendoza in ceremonies to be graced by Most Rev. Paciano V. Aniceto, Archbishop of San Fernando.

Other officials set to assist Arroyo are Clark Development Corporation (CDC) chairman Rizalino S. Navarro, Francisco H. Licuanan III, CDC president Emmanuel Y. Angeles, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) director general and general manager Alfonso G. Cusi, Clark International Airport Corporation (Ciac) president Adelberto F. Yap, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairman Ephraim C. Genuino.

The terminal expansion project is hoped by local officials in the Metro Clark area to be a concrete gesture of President Arroyo's determination to keep her promise to make the DMIA the premier gateway to the world and the centerpiece of economic development in Pampanga and Central Luzon.

Since last year, Arroyo had instructed then newly-installed CIAC president Yap to jumpstart the development of DMIA, now bearing the name of her father, the late former President Diosdado P. Macapagal.

During the past months, Yap has implemented major reorganizations and launched activities in support of President Arroyo's desire to make DMIA a complementary gateway to the overcrowded Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

Yap earlier said the DMIA airport at present can only accommodate three planeloads of passengers, making it necessary for the expansion of its passenger terminal.

Yap disclosed that the development and operation of DMIA will neither compete with Naia but envisioned the two international airports to make air travel in the country more efficient as these will complement one another.

(September 27, 2004 issue)

hey ryan what's panglao airport?

this slow DMIA improvement is doing good. it might even go faster than solving the T3 case :no:

great bits of news!! but it looks like they're not gonna be pushing through with the huge masterplanned DMIA anymore. or maybe they'll put up something bigger and better for phase two. can't wait! but how much can P2B do for now? and nobody mentioned anything about the SCTEx...

hopefully, the regional airports turn out to be as good as DVO, even if they may be smaller in size...

nice to hear that, i hope that they would expedited the implementation of the project,,,,,atleast we heard the iniatiative of some related government agency and officials..

great bits of news!! but it looks like they're not gonna be pushing through with the huge masterplanned DMIA anymore. or maybe they'll put up something bigger and better for phase two. can't wait! but how much can P2B do for now? and nobody mentioned anything about the SCTEx...

hopefully, the regional airports turn out to be as good as DVO, even if they may be smaller in size...

well it's unfeasible to suddenly start another international airport when we have one waiting to be opened. imo a slow development is better than one quick build. makes more sense too

:cheers: :jk: P2-B DMIA terminal expansion project under way


By FRED ROXAS


CLARK ZONE, Pampanga — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led in the time capsule laying ceremonies for the P2-billion expansion project of the passenger terminal at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here yesterday morning.


Dr. Emmanuel Y. Angeles, president and chief executive of Clark Development Corp. (CDC), assisted in the ceremonies held at the DMIA aviation complex.

Others who assisted the President were Vice-President Noli de Castro, Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president Adelberto Yap, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chairman Efraim Genuino, Presidential adviser on Clark-Subic development Francisco Licuanan III, CDC chairman Rizalino Navarro, Sen. Lito Lapid, Pampanga Gov. Mark T. Lapid and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Alfonso Cusi.

The passenger terminal project which is expected to be completed in the next two years was envisioned by President Arroyo to convert DMIA as the country’s prime international airport and complementary gateway to the overcrowded Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila.

Upon completion of the passenger terminal, DMIA will be able to become an Asian regional center for express freight hub operations, logistics/warehousing hub, and a major large aircraft heavy maintenance base.

CIAC president Yap said that the expansion project for DMIA was designed to respond to the increasing number of foreign travelers here and the emerging new market for air travelers among the middle classes in the Asian region and across the globe.

"It is not intended to compete with NAIA but instead complement its operations in servicing specific growth markets," according to Cusi.

The DMIA terminal will have a capacity of 3.5 million passengers annually and can process around 1,000 passengers during peak hours.

Presently, DMIA can accommodate only three planeloads of passengers daily or approximately 800,000 passengers yearly.

CDC President Angeles announced that Alenia Marconi, an Italian firm would soon construct an $11 million state-of-the-art terminal radar approach control (Tracon) project. Presently, DMIA is using the NAIA radar system for inbound and outbound flights.

Yap said that upon installation of the radar system at DMIA, it would be one of the most competitive, safe and reliable airports in Asia.

:eek2: :applause: Whoo hoo!!

Renell - panglao is an beautiful island connected to bohol by a bridge. It has really good beaches. And they plan to move bohol's airport to panglao, since the current airport is really bad and underused. most people (esp. tourists) use fast ferries from Cebu to reach bohol.

Thursday, September 30, 2004
Arroyo praised for boosting DMIA operations
By Chris Navarro

CLARK FIELD -- President Arroyo's promise to make the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) into the "best hub" in Southeast Asia received praises from the provincial government and local chief executives of Pampanga.

Pampanga Gov. Mark T. Lapid said during Mrs. Arroyo's visit to the DMIA Tuesday that the province is very grateful to the Chief Executive "for fulfilling her promise to fully operationalize the airport."

Lapid said his father, Sen. Lito Lapid, was the one who lobbied for the development of the airport when he was still governor of the province.

The governor said DMIA's operations as an international airport will spur economic growth and bring in business and job opportunities in the province.
Arroyo's mission, vision

Meanwhile, Pampanga Mayors' League (PML) president Lubao Mayor Dennis G. Pineda said the league fully supports President Arroyo in her "mission and vision" to make DMIA, Clark and Subic as the "best hubs" in the South East Asian region.

Pineda said Arroyo's promise to fully operate the DMIA and the Subic seaport will spur economic activity in Central Luzon.

Mabalacat Mayor Marino "Boking" Morales said "right now, the DMIA is operational and but because of this development and resources that the President has provided for the DMIA, certainly it will be fully operational. And this will be good for the socio-economic development of our community."

Arayat Mayor Chito Espino said the airport will boost the tourism industry in Arayat, where the national park is located.

Floridablanca Mayor Darwin Manalansan said he is very hopeful that the president will make good on her promise to make DMIA into a world-class airport that can compete with other international airport in Southeast Asia.

Manalansan added that the full operation of Clark and Subic into an international Airport and Freeport will greatly help in the economic development of his town, citing the soon to be finished Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project (SCTEP).

Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo said in a span of three weeks, the President had visited Clark twice, in which she pointed out that Clark and Subic will be fully developed.

well, whatever they do at DMIA, i hope they did a full study and something for a long term use and not just during GMA term

it'd be stupid for it to be ignored beyond 2010, after all this money spent on it

yeah i hope they study it very well,

any renderings for the expansion?

Yeah...this project has been planned since Ramos time, so i have very little doubt that they didnt study before building. This is just the first phase, it will become a huge airport later on.

Yeah...this project has been planned since Ramos time, so i have very little doubt that they didnt study before building. This is just the first phase, it will become a huge airport later on.

oh, didnt know about the Ramos thing. what did they do during his term?

proposals...actually, Ramos prefered Langly Point but in the end they chose Clark. Maybe they did some legal stuff also.

best hub in southeast asia??? wow thats quite ambitious considering you have to compete with malaysia, singapore and so to open thailand international airports, youll have to pour billions of dollars to make it at par

best hub is nice and all, but as long as PAL exists to battle whatever open-skies deal there is, we won't even come close to it :D

bump...

Anything new with this airport's progress? I havent heard much news about it lately.

bump...

Anything new with this airport's progress? I havent heard much news about it lately.

haven't heard much about it either... is the P2B expansion already underway...?

Officials back plan to transfer Rizal Sports Center to Clark

By FRED ROXAS

CLARK ZONE, Pampanga – Central Luzon officials are one in supporting a proposal of Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. to relocate the Rizal Memorial Sports Center (RMSC) in Manila at the Clark Special Economic Zone.

Most Region 3 officials and civic and business leaders are unanimous in endorsing Cojuangco’s proposal to transfer RMSC from its cramped space to a wider, bigger and accessible location that could be developed into future training center and sports stadium of the country.

As a long-time political leader of Central Luzon, with Tarlac Province as his base, Cojuangco was encouraged by public officials in Region 3 to make Clark as the training site for Filipino athletes.

Pampanga leaders have been delighted to learn of the former House Speaker’s plan to relocate RMSC to the vast former US military facility, now burgeoning economic zone and tourist destination.

Gov. Mark T. Lapid and his father, Sen. Manuel Lapid, are among the leaders who endorsed the proposal.

Other leaders supporting Yap’s plan include Vice Gov. and Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao, the four lawmakers of the province, Tarlac Gov. Aping Yap, Zambales Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain and Emmanuel Y. Angeles, chief executive officer of Clark Development Corp.

They foresee the project as practical, necessary and economical, citing existing infrastructure and building facilities inside Clark zone as the initial advantages over other proposed sites.

Governor Lapid, Angeles and Regional Tourism Director Tony Tiotiuco see the future sports center in Pampangas as a lure to tourists to visit Clark. This would hasten the full operation of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Bulacan and Nueva Ecija officials as well as civic and business leaders in the region headed by Regional Governor Romy P. Yusi Sr. of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. also lauded the plan.

Just curious why so many infrastructure projects are named after Macapagal and in my humble opinion undeserved.

who's the president?

@Dvorak: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is the President.

Many landmarks are named after Macapagal because the President likes it that way. Since the President was born in Pampanga (province), she wants the major city airport of Pampanga named after his father. She is wanting to develop the Clark area, the location of the airport, a lot as well because it has a good location and has potential to be one of the major gateways in SE Asia.

Secondly, Philippine politics. :) You might know why.

precisely the point.. GMA is the president..

if indeed true that Sen. Mar Roxas intends to run for presidency in 2010, expect projects to be named after his grandfather, the late president manuel roxas :D

I don't like people who are naming the projects after them, especially the government officials. :mad:

precisely the point.. GMA is the president..

of course. How stupid am I to consider that a question. Great mark of sarcasm. Lol.

Mar Roxas for president.. then Korina Sanchez for first lady! woooooooohoooo gives me the creeps!

Officials back plan to transfer Rizal Sports Center to Clark

By FRED ROXAS

CLARK ZONE, Pampanga – Central Luzon officials are one in supporting a proposal of Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. to relocate the Rizal Memorial Sports Center (RMSC) in Manila at the Clark Special Economic Zone.

Most Region 3 officials and civic and business leaders are unanimous in endorsing Cojuangco’s proposal to transfer RMSC from its cramped space to a wider, bigger and accessible location that could be developed into future training center and sports stadium of the country.

As a long-time political leader of Central Luzon, with Tarlac Province as his base, Cojuangco was encouraged by public officials in Region 3 to make Clark as the training site for Filipino athletes.

Pampanga leaders have been delighted to learn of the former House Speaker’s plan to relocate RMSC to the vast former US military facility, now burgeoning economic zone and tourist destination.

Gov. Mark T. Lapid and his father, Sen. Manuel Lapid, are among the leaders who endorsed the proposal.

Other leaders supporting Yap’s plan include Vice Gov. and Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao, the four lawmakers of the province, Tarlac Gov. Aping Yap, Zambales Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain and Emmanuel Y. Angeles, chief executive officer of Clark Development Corp.

They foresee the project as practical, necessary and economical, citing existing infrastructure and building facilities inside Clark zone as the initial advantages over other proposed sites.

Governor Lapid, Angeles and Regional Tourism Director Tony Tiotiuco see the future sports center in Pampangas as a lure to tourists to visit Clark. This would hasten the full operation of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Bulacan and Nueva Ecija officials as well as civic and business leaders in the region headed by Regional Governor Romy P. Yusi Sr. of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. also lauded the plan.

I think they should really transfer it in clark since clark has lots of open spaces and they should convert the rizal sports complex in manila as a commercial zone, it would be great new high rises building will come up and it will compliment the existing high rises buildings in malate and mabini area.

I don't think the Rizal Sports Complex should be rid forever in Manila. Will all these american influences coming to the country I see my nephews and nieces becoming inflated balloons, aided by Krispy Kreme or whatever the local variation is, not to mention Taco Bell. In Olympic years we dream of that medal, whatever colour but in reality it is hard to come by, and it will be even harder with less sports facilities.

a sports complex in Clark is also good, it will develop provincial sports and we need all the talent. but the RMSC should stay

he he he...you win renell.. :cheers1:

Instead of relocating Rizal Sports Complex to Clark, it should remain where it is for the benefit of the Metro area. They should just build a brand new state-of-art National Olympic Training Center at Clark where all athletes of every sport can live and train (and also be educated) for future meets and tournaments. A good example to look at is China's sports systems, trainers and coaches travel the country and hand-pick youngsters that have potentials in a particular sport and bring them to Beijing where they are trained and coached and molded into future Olympic superstars. Who knows the Philippines will be a major sports powerhouse in the not-so-distant future. :)

Or perhaps make the Rizal Sports Complex (since it's so cramped in there) a training facility for a premier one where there is space.

That makes sense too. Make it a "feeder site" to weed-out the wannabes! :lol:

click here (http://philskies.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4803&sid=16b6d052a281bf5de8b853649a992ce4)

another proposed airport that would take the place of NAIA as the country's premier hub. I came across it in that forum. has anyone seen this before? it looks quite old though.. and maybe was replaced by the DMIA plans? it looks like it would be really nice though. the terminal design just looks quite outdated now...

click here (http://philskies.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4803&sid=16b6d052a281bf5de8b853649a992ce4)

another proposed airport that would take the place of NAIA as the country's premier hub. I came across it in that forum. has anyone seen this before? it looks quite old though.. and maybe was replaced by the DMIA plans? it looks like it would be really nice though. the terminal design just looks quite outdated now...
Yup quite an old project, LT again , he bought most of Talim Island off Binangonan. Basically a dead project. Would have been cheaper to develop more runways in clark (it's supposed to have 4 in the long run) and a hi speed train and new highway than to reclaim all of the land and them build a new airport still anyway. Well parts of the plan for clark are actually moving already.

the design of that terminal is superb it can rival the chek lap kok but the location and layout of the airport is not. It's good that the plan did not materialize but i like the design of the terminal building it has 60 plus gates.

yeah.. the terminal itself looked nice though.. I think I don't like to see the murky waters of Laguna de Bay from a taxiing aircraft.. if taxiing on NAIA presents a bad view... on Laguna de Bay, it may be worse... :D

build that terminal on Clark instead or in Cebu...

This would affect the environment catastrophically. If you think Laguna de Bay is polluted enough as it is, imagine what's to come if you destroy existing ecosystems by placing an artificial island smack dab in the middle of it?

If there will be an emergency landing, chances are the passengers may die from drowning because at 4 to 5 story high above the water the aircraft might ended up in water. Maybe if they will reclaime the land just like the Macau Intern. Airport it will be good. The "theme" in that airport has a similairy in the current Macau International Airport.

i dont think NAIA can accomodate the A380 of airbus, Only DMIA can accomodate it, I hope when NAIA3 opens it will exceed its limits in the shortest possible time so that they will develop earlier the DMIA while I'm still alive....he he he.....But i doubt that NAIA3 will reach it's limit in a span of let say 15 years not unless we became an international hub like bangkok or singapore. this is off topic but Did you know that KLIA in malaysia is not always operating in its peak day capacity. My friend told me that the airport seems empty the whole day and there is 'dagang kanal' he he he roaming around. Lets just pray that NAIA will not suffer the same fate because if NAIA did not reach its full capacity the construction of the bigger terminal in DMIA will be on limbo.

Facts:
NAIA Teminal 1 - 14 gates - 4 million passenger capacity
NAIA Terminal 2 - 12 gates - 9 million passenger capacity
(In Terminal 2 Lucio Tan is Planning to add more gates in International wing)
NAIA Terminal 3 - 28 gates - 13 to 16 million passenger capacity
Total - 54 gates - 29 million passengers per annum

I don't think NAIA or DMIA will suffer the same fate as KLIA because the growth in airline passengers here in the Philippines is driven by the number of OFWs/balikbayans, which is pretty steadily growing. And our tourist arrivals are nowhere near the maximum possible numbers yet. So there's really nowhere to go but up for us, we really do need more and bigger airports, especially since we're an archipelago and there's no qick way to get here except via air. On the other hand, the number of passengers using KLIA depends a lot more on tourist movement, and their tourist numbers are nearing peak levels already. Also, a significant number of tourists get into Malaysia over land through Thailand or Singapore anyway. And they really did build KLIA airport on a slightly more-massive-than-necessary scale, it could look like forward-planning and grandeur for some, excess for others.

Also, logistically, DMIA makes great sense for air freight services to use as a hub because of it's geographic position.

I think if both of DMIA and NAIA operates, there is a great chance for DMIA to be a white elephant airport, unless all the airlines move to DMIA from NAIA. Its just not worth it to operate two commercial airport if the traffic is not as big as let say...heathrow or Narita for instance.

cheers

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/rjacabanban/jpria5.jpg

It was an interesting idea. I guess it was keeping up with the trend of airports being built on man-made islands reclaimed from bodies of water. The airport terminal does look good and but the runways on pylons looks kind of weird. ;)

Naia can handle the A380 in due time. All that are needed are taxiway modifications, but otherwise, I think T3 can handle the A380. While DMIA is indeed better suited for the large plane, I highly doubt that A380 after A380 will be landing in this country in the near future in the first place.

What DMIA needs, though, to become a serious alternative gateway, is better access to Manila. Northrail and SCTEX are cute and all, but a high-speed railway and a dedicated airport expressway would be preferred.

for dedicated expressway, i think NLEX then changing to SCTEX is good enough. as for the A380 i believe that question was answered in the NAIA thread. The planes that taxi will have to stop i believe for the A380 taking off and landing.

Is that Laguna de Bay airport for real? I dont like it at all, even though its infrastructure is pretty cool.

OMG.....i hope they wont build that airport by laguna de bay, why build one there in the first place?

I think that Laguna airport is in another thread, but that's a red herring.

I understand that the current configuration will already accomodate the a380 but should it be taxiing down to the terminal from the runway, all other airplanes must stop due to it's wide wingspan. But since there are very few of these birds and they will probably be used in hub to hub, NAIA does not anticipate to many instances where this will happen and so will be able to still schedule around this. After all we really don't have that busy of an airport yet.

I wouldn't be surprised if DMIA developed as a busy charter airport. There's already a number of junkets for lowpaying tourist from taiwan, china, et al landing there. So Many Pinoys will use Naia but the tourist charter business which is growing will land there. I understand that if a certain critical mass of let's say one airbus daily per destination like taiwan, or cities in china is reached, then the tourist from these countries specially china (of whom we are trying to get a 1 to 2% market share of the 100 million in 10 years) will sustain this place already.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v187/rjacabanban/jpria5.jpg

It was an interesting idea. I guess it was keeping up with the trend of airports being built on man-made islands reclaimed from bodies of water. The airport terminal does look good and but the runways on pylons looks kind of weird. ;)

Some Filipinos are just plain fools. I hope this one does not pust through. Filipinos really know how to destroy nature.


Jon

That Laguna de Bay idea is interesting though. Imaging looking out the window while landing. It'll feel like landing on water. :)

That Laguna de Bay idea is interesting though. Imaging looking out the window while landing. It'll feel like landing on water. :)

dude that's scarry :uh: especially to someone like me who doesn't know how to swim :lol:

NAIA still needs to upgrade its facilities to accomodate the A380 because i wont be surprised if PAL acquires a few of them in the not so distant future (for trans-pacific use). I heard that NAIA already started to upgrade its runway a few months ago, i dont the details and if they are finished.

This is the oddest thing I've ever seen. Bakit kailangan pang nakabukaka sa Bay ang airport na yan? Parang wlang mag utak ang mga nagplano niyan. Paninira lang yan sa nature, tama ka jon.

/\ It's just "illusions of grandeur." ;)

go to this thread http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=168557, post number 1, photo at the bottom.

the runway is elevated and above water i pressumed, just like the design of the runway in laguna de bay.

From what I know, the Madeira Islands are a small series of islands in the Atlantic coast, and so they might need to extend the runway a bit to the sea, or elevate it for the airport could be in a hilly location.

Like most people have said here, the design is unnecessary.

Cheap airports seen driving low cost Asian travel

XFN-Asia

SYDNEY--Low-cost airports could be the next driver of low cost travel in Asia, and in most cases would not require significant new investment, the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said.

Secondary airports and former military facilities across Asia could be prime targets for governments around the region seeking to encourage the low cost travel segment, the Sydney-based aviation consultancy said.

It noted the Philippine government is now promoting the former US Air Force base at Clark, north of Manila, as a hub for low cost carriers, promising unfettered access to anyone interested in operating to Clark.

"In many cases, basic infrastructure suitable for budget operations is already in place at smaller airports across the region," CAPA said.

It said the key would be providing open access for carriers to develop routes into secondary facilities, which do not threaten existing flag carriers' operations between major hubs.

"The Philippines plans for Clark could provide a useful model for other regional governments seeking to promote economic development through tourism, where the budget travel segment is an increasingly important component," the consultancy group said.

* taken from inq7.net (http://money.inq7.net/breakingnews/view_breakingnews.php?yyyy=2005&mon=02&dd=09&file=16)

nice to know that another country is approving our government's initiative and ideas..

aw, i wanna know what DMIA would look like... uhmm, can the construction start before GMA's term ends?

I think the plans right now only include the upgrade of the current terminal and increase it's passenger capacity. so we won't be expecting a newly built terminal during GMA's term, am I right?

nope i dont think so, maybe at the end of her term if we see the volume of traffic in naia increase to more than 15 million annually then we can see a new and bigger terminal built at dmia

I was wondering if this question hasn't been answered yet...

What if Pinatubo erupts?

:runaway:

I was wondering if this question hasn't been answered yet...

What if Pinatubo erupts?

:runaway:

DMIA is still far from pinatubo.

pinatubo will most probably erupt after 600 years

I was wondering if this question hasn't been answered yet...

What if Pinatubo erupts?

:runaway:

since pinatubo is a dormant or inactive volcano, it would take some time before it erupts again... say another 100 years. but anyway, as per satellite pic, clark was spared from lahar flows... not so much destruction occured at the facility.

dont worry there are other airports will come to the rescue.

Graft and Eruption is a more big problem than pinatubo eruption....ooops graft and corruption pala :D

hahaha!

I don't think they plan to make a supernice terminal. Remember that the present domestic terminal (yes the bulok one you took to boracay), actually handled up to 4 or 5 million! I also used the KL terminal before they switched over to their massive one in the petrajaya (tama ba to?). Anyway their terminal was like the old Manila International Airport (and I'm not talking about NAIA terminal 1!!!!). We had to walk to the plane and they handled more people than NAIA at that point already!

Graft and Eruption is a more big problem than pinatubo eruption....ooops graft and corruption pala :D

When was the last time Mount Pinatubo erupted? Somehow I get this feeling that it erupted like quite recently, like in the 1980s or something, cause it gets mentioned in Geography textbooks a lot.

It erupted in 1991. We can never say when it will erupt next, but its safe to say that its not a highly active volcano. When it does erupt, however it will erupt in a massive scale.

My guess is that DMIA may start construction of phase I during the end of GMA's term. She may want to start it as a milestone to her term, after all, she named it after her father.

It erupted in 1991. We can never say when it will erupt next, but its safe to say that its not a highly active volcano. When it does erupt, however it will erupt in a massive scale.

My guess is that DMIA may start construction of phase I during the end of GMA's term. She may want to start it as a milestone to her term, after all, she named it after her father.

1991! That's pretty recent. No wonder I remembered reading in some Geography textbook about its ''massive'' eruption right? How far is Clark from Pinatubo? Is the airport is the way of the expected lava flow? Even if the airport is not damaged by the lava there's still the threat of damage to runways etc by the earth tremors. Just how safe is the airport from the volcano on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being safest?

Okay I don't come from a country which does have volcanos so I have no idea how long after a past eruption can a volcano be considered ''safe'' but IMO 14 years is still pretty recent. Maybe 100 years is a better figure, but then again, it means the likelihood of eruption is even far greater.

Isn't phase 1 of DMIA (upgrading of the terminal to accomodate 4.5m passengers) already under construction? Didn't it cost P2B from locally generated funds? There was even a groudbreaking ceremony...

Btw, Pinatubo erupting is a big deal. The last time it erupted, it covered the runways of clark in ash. While lahar and lava can be diverted, there's still ash...

that's true. ash fall is big problem. I think Pinatubo spewed out a great amount of ash that it caused a decrease in global temperature. I remembered when the volcano erupted, we were playing outside the house, then the sky went a little gray and dark, and ashes started to fall. it was not good..especially everytime our eyes caught some of it... hehehe...

however, ash is more manageable compared to lava and lahar...

anyways, if I'm not mistaken, Pinatubo erupted in 1991 after 400 years... no i'm kidding... but the period of dormancy is hundred years... so the next eruption might not even happen within this century... hehehe

When was the last time Mount Pinatubo erupted? Somehow I get this feeling that it erupted like quite recently, like in the 1980s or something, cause it gets mentioned in Geography textbooks a lot.

It erupted in early 90's and damage our atmosphere, this decade is perhaps the most disastrous decade in the country after the war. There was very big earthquake and a year later there was a very big eruption of Mt Pinatubo and after the eruption every year there is a problem of Lahar.

do you have a close-up photo of DMIA passenger terminal?

There's an existing Terminal in Clark Already and 2 billion is not a lot of money for a terminal. Consider Manila used 350 Million US for 9 million passengers and you get the magnitude of the clark terminal. I once went on the runway with some clark guys and they were saying just making the additional aprons and taxiways would run into billions !

This is are old right? I think I've seen this before.
http://www.theville.com/clark_photos/clark14.jpg
http://www.mmm.ca/Images/fullsize/Manila.jpg

yup... those are pretty old. the design would've been pretty awesome back then, but they do look a bit aged now. still not bad though. I think that was when they were contemplating on moving Manila's major airport into Clark instead of building NAIA-3. but, too bad... they ended up shelving those plans and putting up T3 at NAIA instead.

I think they just renovated and upgraded DMIA's current terminal. the article on the Airplane and Airline thread about LCC's entering DMIA says something about a million-dollar world-class facility. I guess it's pretty small, but at least up to international standards...

wish the proposed airport in clark was built, it really does more sense than building naia 3

yeah those renderings are old...i like the newspaper scan better than the other one. much more modern and can easily be expanded.

wish the proposed airport in clark was built, it really does more sense than building naia 3

actually, if you come to think of it, maybe not... cause there is a huge possibility that if that had happened, foreign airline service to Manila (in DMIA) might not have been profitable (due to the airport's poor accessibility from Metro Manila) and we might've seen even more than just those European airlines gone by now. the NLEX rehab didn't get done till just early this year and we don't even wanna talk about the Northrail...

but, of course, there is also the possibility that if that had happened, the gov't might've acted to rush the completion of the NLEX rehab and Northrail (we might even already have the high-speed railway) to keep foreign airlines from dropping their operations in the country...

AirAsia touches down in Clark

CLARK, Pampanga — AirAsia flight AK 32 from Kuala Lumpur made recently its first touchdown at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).

The appearance of AirAsia at the DMIA will go down in history as the first ever low fare, no frills airline in Asia to land in the former US military base.

A welcome reception was held at the airport to mark the historical occasion. Present to welcome the 123 passengers were General Danilo Augusto Francia, president, Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC); Antonio R. Ng, president, Clark Development Corporation (CDC); Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab of the Department of Tourism; Tony Fernandes, Group, chief executive officer, AirAsia Berhad; Victor Jose Luciano, executive vice president, CDC; former DoT Secretary Narzalina Lim, board member, CDC; and other officials of the airline industry.

On board the aircraft are some 30 tour operators, 30 Malaysian journalists and commercial passengers.

Meanwhile, another AirAsia flight also made its debut. Flight AK 502 from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, landed at 4:05 p.m. with 102 passengers on board.

"There is a tremendous potential for growth in the airline industry to be unlocked with low fares. AirAsia’s role as a premier low fares, no frills airline, in Southeast Asia, has allowed our guests to travel and connect to an extensive available network of point to point flights in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau and China," said Fernandes.

He added, "Our presence now in the Philippines is a testament of our commitment to strive for a tighter and closer ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) community, while promoting the exchange of rich cultures, heritage, skills and friendship."

AirAsia’s one-way fare from Clark to Kuala Lumpur is R1,949. The round trip fare from Clark to Kuala Lumpur costs R5,313, inclusive of taxes, terminal fees, insurance surcharge and administration fee.

Fares for Kota Kinabalu to Clark is R1,799 one way, while round trip fare is R5,013.

"This is not just a promo. Our goal is to lower fares till kingdom come. Our cost is the lowest in the world," Fernandes pointed out.

He is confident that AirAsia will withstand the riding cost of aviation fuel. "We expect that jet fuel will stabilize at $50, which is a very comfortable price."

At the same time, Ng said, "Today we create history as AirAsia is the first low fare airline to land in Clark. AirAsia has revolutionized the air travel industry to allow a great number of people the ability to fly with low, affordable fares."

He continued, "We are grateful to Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza for helping CDC/CIAC to pave the way for new flights under a liberalized air policy."

On the other hand, Luciano encouraged local residents and frequent travelers to take the opportunity offered by the cheap airlines through the DMIA as the main jump-off point to visit other parts of Asia.

The carrier intends to start flights to Cebu and Davao soon. With the huge market in Asia, the airline is determined to build an Asian brand and the Philippines is the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle, Fernandes said.

AirAsia has only started operations three years ago as a low cost carrier with just two Boeing 737-300s and an R40million debt. Now capitalized at US$1 billion, it has 30 aircraft operating 100 daily flights to local and international destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau and now the Philippines. It has carried over nine million passengers.

Recently, it has committed to acquire 100 Airbus A320s which will give it one of the largest fleets in the region.

AirAsia operates a single type aircraft, the Boeing 737-300, regarded as the workhorse of the industry, capable of seating 148 passengers in one class. It is the best selling commercial jet of all time, made popular because of its efficiency and cost effectiveness. (PNA/Lynda B. Valencia)

Aren't the fares quoted in Pesos? Or Ringgit?

AirAsia touches down in Clark

CLARK, Pampanga — AirAsia flight AK 32 from Kuala Lumpur made recently its first touchdown at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).

The appearance of AirAsia at the DMIA will go down in history as the first ever low fare, no frills airline in Asia to land in the former US military base.

A welcome reception was held at the airport to mark the historical occasion. Present to welcome the 123 passengers were General Danilo Augusto Francia, president, Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC); Antonio R. Ng, president, Clark Development Corporation (CDC); Undersecretary Oscar Palabyab of the Department of Tourism; Tony Fernandes, Group, chief executive officer, AirAsia Berhad; Victor Jose Luciano, executive vice president, CDC; former DoT Secretary Narzalina Lim, board member, CDC; and other officials of the airline industry.

On board the aircraft are some 30 tour operators, 30 Malaysian journalists and commercial passengers.

Meanwhile, another AirAsia flight also made its debut. Flight AK 502 from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, landed at 4:05 p.m. with 102 passengers on board.

"There is a tremendous potential for growth in the airline industry to be unlocked with low fares. AirAsia’s role as a premier low fares, no frills airline, in Southeast Asia, has allowed our guests to travel and connect to an extensive available network of point to point flights in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau and China," said Fernandes.

He added, "Our presence now in the Philippines is a testament of our commitment to strive for a tighter and closer ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) community, while promoting the exchange of rich cultures, heritage, skills and friendship."

AirAsia’s one-way fare from Clark to Kuala Lumpur is R1,949. The round trip fare from Clark to Kuala Lumpur costs R5,313, inclusive of taxes, terminal fees, insurance surcharge and administration fee.

Fares for Kota Kinabalu to Clark is R1,799 one way, while round trip fare is R5,013.

"This is not just a promo. Our goal is to lower fares till kingdom come. Our cost is the lowest in the world," Fernandes pointed out.

He is confident that AirAsia will withstand the riding cost of aviation fuel. "We expect that jet fuel will stabilize at $50, which is a very comfortable price."

At the same time, Ng said, "Today we create history as AirAsia is the first low fare airline to land in Clark. AirAsia has revolutionized the air travel industry to allow a great number of people the ability to fly with low, affordable fares."

He continued, "We are grateful to Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza for helping CDC/CIAC to pave the way for new flights under a liberalized air policy."

On the other hand, Luciano encouraged local residents and frequent travelers to take the opportunity offered by the cheap airlines through the DMIA as the main jump-off point to visit other parts of Asia.

The carrier intends to start flights to Cebu and Davao soon. With the huge market in Asia, the airline is determined to build an Asian brand and the Philippines is the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle, Fernandes said.

AirAsia has only started operations three years ago as a low cost carrier with just two Boeing 737-300s and an R40million debt. Now capitalized at US$1 billion, it has 30 aircraft operating 100 daily flights to local and international destinations in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau and now the Philippines. It has carried over nine million passengers.

Recently, it has committed to acquire 100 Airbus A320s which will give it one of the largest fleets in the region.

AirAsia operates a single type aircraft, the Boeing 737-300, regarded as the workhorse of the industry, capable of seating 148 passengers in one class. It is the best selling commercial jet of all time, made popular because of its efficiency and cost effectiveness. (PNA/Lynda B. Valencia)

i think the fares are in peso not ringgit

Sometimes the Manila Bulletin uses R instead of P.. i dunno why

yeah, manila bulletin uses R for peso. i even emailed them to ask why is that but they never replied lol!