Clark International Airport

Clark International Airport (IATA: CRK, ICAO: RPLC) (Kapampangan: Pangyatung Sulapawan ning Clark, Tagalog: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Clark) is an international airport located within the Clark Freeport Zone between Angeles and Mabalacat in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. It is located 43.2 NM (80.0 km; 49.7 mi)[10] northwest of Manila. It is accessible through the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway.

"Clark Airport" redirects here. For other airports, see Clark Airport (disambiguation).

Clark International Airport

Pangyatung Sulapawan ning Clark
Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Clark
Terminal 1 of Clark International Airport, with the AirAsia Airbus A320 parked at the terminal.
Summary
Airport typePublic/Military
OwnerDepartment of Transportation(operations of the Airport)
Bases Conversion and Development Authority (ownership of Clark International Airport Corporation)[1][2][3]
OperatorLIPAD Corporation[4][5]
Philippine Air Force[6]
ServesCentral Luzon and Greater Manila Area
LocationClark Freeport Zone
OpenedJune 16, 1996 (June 16, 1996)[7][8]
Hub for
Elevation AMSL148 m / 484 ft
Coordinates15°11′09″N 120°33′35″E
Websiteclarkinternationalairport.com
Map
CRK/RPLC
Location in the Philippines
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 3,200 10,499 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2018)
Passengers2,664,378
75.92%
Aircraft movements24,873
97.09%
Source: CIAC[9]

The airport serves Central Luzon, Northern Luzon, and to an extent Metro Manila. The name is derived from the former American Clark Air Base which was the largest overseas base of the United States Air Force until it was closed in 1991 and handed over to the Government of the Philippines.

The airport is managed and operated by Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation, a consortium of JG Summit Holdings, Filinvest Development Corporation, Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc., and Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd.;[4][5] while the southern part of the facility is utilized by the Philippine Air Force as Clark Air Base.[6]

The airport serves both international and domestic flights. A new passenger terminal building is under construction and is expected to be finished in 2020.

History
For information on the history of Clark Airport prior to the explosion of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and the departure of U.S. forces from the Philippines, see Clark Air Base.
The logo of Clark International Airport used until 2019.

The United States Cavalry established Fort Stotsenberg in 1902 and later converted a portion of it into an air field, which was, in turn, renamed Clark Air Field in 1919—in honor of aviator Major Harold Melville Clark—and was used as one of the most important overseas bases during the 2nd World War.

In 1947, the RP-US Military Bases Agreement was signed, integrating Clark Air Field and Fort Stotsenberg into Clark Air Base but, after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 and the non-renewal of the military bases agreement, Clark Air Base was reverted to the Philippine Government.

The Bases Conversion Development Act of 1992 accelerated the conversion of Clark Air Base into a Special Economic Zone, and in 2007, the Philippine Congress enacted a law (RA 9400) which renamed the base to Clark Freeport Philippines. It is now segregated in two separate entities: Clark Freeport Zone administered by the Clark Development Corporation, and the Clark Civil Aviation Complex administered by the Clark International Airport Corporation.

In 1993, the former Clark Air Base was reopened as the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) after the area was cleared from lahar debris from the Mount Pinatubo explosion and a typhoon that followed. During the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos, it was designated to be the future primary international gateway of the Philippines and the major international airport of Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces when Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila has reached full capacity and can no longer be expanded.

CIAC traces its origin from Republic Act No. 7227, otherwise known as the "Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992", which authorized the conversion of several military reservations, including the former Clark Air Base, into sustainable economic zones. Jurisdiction over the corporation shifted from the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) and the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) since its formal incorporation with the SEC in 1995.

In 2003, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo renamed Clark International Airport as the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), in memory of her father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, and ordered the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) in February 2007 to fund the US$1.7 billion (PH₱76.5 billion) expansion of DMIA and the approval of a US$2 million (PH₱90 million) study plan financed by the Korean International Cooperation Agency. The first stage of Clark Airport's expansion program, a PH₱130 million terminal expansion, was completed in January 2008 to accommodate more than 2 million passengers annually.[11]

In 2011, CIAC was transferred from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and became an attached agency of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) by virtue of Executive Order No. 64 issued by President Benigno Aquino III.[12][13]

The airport's name reverted to Clark International Airport in February 2012,[14] but the passenger terminal continued to bear Diosdado Macapagal's name.

On February 28, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 14, reverting CIAC as a subsidiary of the BCDA, but with the Department of Transportation maintaining supervision and operational control of the airport.[15]

On April 22, 2019, the airport was temporarily closed as all flights to and from Clark are canceled due to a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurred, originating in Zambales. The earthquake caused heavy damage to the main terminal as the ceiling collapsed, rendering the airport temporarily closed. It reopened on April 24, 2019, after repairs were made.[16]

Future development

Four new terminals are expected to be completed and all will be fully operational by 2025. Upon completion, these four terminals will boost Clark's passenger capacity to more than 110 million annually. The airport is also being groomed to become one of the country's first "aerotropolis" or a community that features a world-class airport and surrounded by business clusters and residential developments.[17] The project involves the operations and maintenance of the existing and the proposed new passenger terminal buildings on the airport with a 25-year concession period. The ₱12.55-billion project involves the construction of a new 82,600m² passenger terminal building with a design capacity of 8 million passengers per annum. The new passenger terminal building is expected to be finished by 2020.

North Luzon Airport Consortium (NLAC), which is a consortium of JG Summit Holdings, Filinvest Development Corp., Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc. and Changi Airports Philippines Pte. Ltd. (which is a subsidiary of Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd, which is itself a subsidiary of Changi Airport Group, one of the operators of Singapore Changi Airport) won the open bid by the BCDA to take over the operations and maintenance of the airport.[18] On January 25, 2019, NLAC signed the 25-year contract for the operations and maintenance for the airport.[19] On August 16, 2019, Clark International Airport's operations and maintenance were officially handed over to the winning bid (now renamed as Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation) in the ceremony held at the new terminal building with the unveiling of its new logo.[4][5]

Geographical location

Clark International Airport is located in Luzon Island, approximately 98 kilometers (61 mi) from Manila in the south, 163 kilometers (101 mi) from Baguio in the north, and a substantial portion of which is surrounded by Angeles. The airport lies in between the Mount Pinatubo on the West and the Mount Arayat on the East.

The airport site is inside the Clark Freeport Zone's Civil Aviation Complex which occupies 2,367 hectares (5,850 acres) and directly linked to the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) which is connected to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) providing a direct link to Metro Manila.

It has a local catchment area with an estimated population of 23 million covering Regions 1, 2 and 3, Cordillera Administrative Region, and the northern part of Metro Manila (Quezon City and CAMANAVA area).

Features

Passenger terminal complex
Views of the departure hall of the passenger terminal.

The original terminal was expanded for $3 million (PH₱130 million) to accommodate 1 million passengers annually. The expansion project was inaugurated by President Arroyo on April 2008 to serve the growing passenger volume due to the entry of foreign and local budget carriers at the airport.

Phase I expansion started in April 2010 for $12 million (PH₱550 million) that saw a second story, arrival and departure lounges, and two aerobridges added to the terminal building. The expansion boosted Clark's capacity to 2.5 million annually.

In 2013, Phase II expansion which costs $9.6 million (PH₱417 million) increased the capacity of the passenger terminal from 2.5 million to 4.2 million passengers per annum. The expansion increased the size of the passenger terminal building from 11,439m² to 19,799m². It added 21 new check-in counters, increasing the total number of counters from 13 to 34. Five arrival counters and 12 departures counters were also constructed. The expanded terminal currently has eight entry points and three customs stations. The modernized terminal started operations in May 2013.[20]

Runways

Clark Airport used to have two 3,200-meter parallel runways. Since the runways are closely spaced, the secondary runway (02L/20R) has been decommissioned and is no longer in use. A new maintenance hangar is currently being constructed on the stopway of Runway 02L.[21]

  • The primary runway (Runway 02R/20L) has a length of 3,200 meters and a width of 60 meters. It is equipped with various navigational aids and lighting facilities, and it has a Category 1 rating for precision approach.

Air traffic control tower

In 2020, the Clark International Airport Corp. announced plans to construct the tallest air traffic control tower in the Philippines which will stand around 54 meters (177 ft) in height.[22]

Airlines and destinations

Due to cancellation of flights following the COVID-19 pandemic, this list is no longer current and destinations are subject to change without prior notice.[23][24]

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Asiana Airlines Seoul–Incheon
Cebu Pacific Cebu (resumes August 1, 2020)[25]
Emirates Dubai–International
Jeju Air Seoul–Incheon
Jin Air Seoul–Incheon (resumes August 10, 2020)[26]
Jetstar Asia Airways Singapore (resumes August 12, 2020)[27]
Philippine Airlines
operated by PAL Express 		Davao
Philippines AirAsia Davao
Qatar Airways Doha
Scoot Singapore (resumes August 3, 2020)[28]

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
AirBridgeCargo Airlines Hong Kong
FedEx Express Guangzhou, Taipei–Taoyuan
Suparna Airlines Cargo Xiamen
Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines Hong Kong
UPS Airlines Dubai–International, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tokyo–Narita

Statistics

Data from Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC).[9]

Awards
  • Center for Asia Pacific Aviation
    Low-Cost Airport of the Year (2006)[29]
  • Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace and Defense Awards
    Airport of the Year (2008) (for airports under 15 million passengers category)[30]
  • Routes Airport Marketing Awards
    Winner (2013) (for 'Under 20 Million' Category)[31]

Ground transportation

Motor vehicle

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) provides access through the airport, with two exits: Clark North and Clark South interchange, where the latter leads directly to Clark. Passengers with connecting flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila can take North Luzon Expressway which is linked via SCTEx, then passing through Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Roxas Boulevard and finally onto NAIA Road. The future corridor between NAIA and Clark International Airport is the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 from NLEx to SLEx and NAIA Expressway from Skyway and SLEx to NAIA Terminals. The target completion of the NLEx-SLEx elevated expressway link project (Skyway Stage 3) was initially March 2018, but it was moved to the 2020 completion date due to right of way issues.

Park and fly services are provided within the airport as well.[32]

Public transportation

For short-distance routes, air-conditioned jeepneys connect Clark to nearby Dau Bus Terminal in Mabalacat and SM City Clark in Angeles, Pampanga. From Dau, passengers can ride intercity buses leading to other cities and towns in Northern and Central Luzon as well as Metro Manila. Direct Premium Point-to-Point Bus Services (P2Ps) for long-distance routes are provided by four bus companies leading to TriNoma in Quezon City, Subic and neighboring Olongapo in Zambales, Dagupan in Pangasinan, and Vigan in Ilocos Sur.[33]

The airport will also be served by the second phase of the North–South Commuter Railway, connecting the airport to a terminus in nearby New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, as well as Tutuban train station in Manila and Calamba in Laguna. The connection will be complete by 2023.[34]

See also

References
  1. "BCDA to build Clark International Airport under DOTC Leadership" (Press release). Bases Conversion and Development Authority. October 24, 2011. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2012. BCDA wrote Sec. Mar Roxas to map out its plans and strategies for major infrastructures under BCDA’s ownership and mandate such as the Clark International Airport.
  2. Amojelar, Darwin G. (22 October 2011). "BCDA to build Clark International Airport". The Manila Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012. Casanova emphasized that the BCDA owns the properties and assets of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) and Clark Development Corp. (CDC) which gives it legal authority to undertake the development of the airport.
  3. "Executive Order No. 14, s. 2017" (PDF). officialgazette.gov.ph. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. "Lipad Corporation takes over Clark airport operations". Rappler. August 18, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  5. Orejas, Tonette (August 16, 2019). "Lipad consortium takes over Clark airport". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  6. "Clark Air Base". Philippine Air Force. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012. Though the air facility principally handled civilian air traffic (it was planned to replace Ninoy Aquino International Airport as Metro Manila's primary airport), the Philippine Air Force maintained a presence there, and part of it was still known as Clark Air Base.
  7. "2007 Annual Report" (PDF). Clark International Airport Official Website. Clark International Airport Corporation. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  8. "Remembering CRK's 1st flight 20 years ago, June 16, 1996". Facebook. Clark International Airport Corporation. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  9. "Vital Information" (PDF). Clark International Airport Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  10. Baluyut, Joelyn (October 10, 2012). "NAIA flights diverted to Clark". Philippine Information Agency. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  11. "Sunstar.com". SunStar. Archived from the original on September 28, 2008.
  12. "Executive Order No. 64, s. 2011". Official Gazette. December 21, 2011.
  13. https://bcda.gov.ph/projects/clark-international-airport
  14. "Clark airport name-change plan sparks debate". ABS-CBN News. February 28, 2012.
  15. "Executive Order No. 14, s. 2017" (PDF). Official Gazette. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  16. "Clark International Airport shut down after quake damages terminal". ABS-CBN News. April 22, 2019.
  17. "Central Luzon: The newest emerging business destination". SunStar. February 4, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  18. "Changi-led consortium to take over Clark airport ops, maintenance". GMA News.
  19. Rey, Aika (January 25, 2019). "Filinvest, JG Summit sign 25-year Clark airport operations deal". Rappler. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  20. "Clark International Airport (CIA) Expansion, Pampanga". Airport-technology.com.
  21. "CLARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OPERATION & MAINTENANCE CONCESSION" (PDF). Ppp.gov.ph. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  22. "CIAC to build Philippines' tallest airport control tower". Sun Star Pampanga. July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  23. "Flights". Clark International Airport. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  24. "GENERAL PASSENGER GUIDELINES". Clark International Airport. July 13, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  25. https://www.facebook.com/CRKInternationalAirport/posts/3336114549744713
  26. https://www.facebook.com/CRKInternationalAirport/posts/3336114549744713
  27. https://www.facebook.com/CRKInternationalAirport/posts/3336114549744713
  28. https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/292766/scoot-resumes-clark-service-from-august-2020/
  29. "DMIA bags Low-Cost Airport Award". Archived from the original on October 22, 2012.
  30. "DMIA awarded 'Airport of the Year' by global consulting group". Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  31. "Routes Asia 2013 :: Routes Airport Marketing Awards". Routesonline. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  32. "Frequently Asked Questions". Clark International Airport Corporation. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  33. Pavia, Joey (January 13, 2013). "CIA eyes 2M passengers in 2013, launches Clark-TriNoma bus route". BusinessMirror. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  34. "Project Details – Build". Build.gov.ph. June 1, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2020.


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