Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) officials are negotiating with Middle Eastern carriers to link the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) to the Middle East and Europe.
CIAC President and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano bared CIAC is currently in talks with a major Middle East carrier to mount flights to the DMIA which would eventually open the airport to Middle Eastern and European countries.
“I am happy to tell you that pretty soon, we may be getting a major Middle East carrier to fly out of DMIA,” Luciano told guests during the official launching of the 2009 DMIA Product Update and North Luzon Road Show held at the Hotel Vida in the Clark Freeport Zone.
He, however, declined to identify the Middle East carrier as he said they are still in negotiations with the airline that would also provide flights to Europe.
“This means Clark in particular DMIA will be linked globally,” Luciano stressed.
Luciano led the launching of the first-ever DMIA North Luzon Road Show which was attended by more than 130 travel agents and manpower services based in Central and Northern Luzon and Metro Manila to promote the DMIA’s international and domestic flights and provide updates on the on-going developments at the 2,367-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex.
CIAC officials led by Chairman of the Board Architect Nestor Mangio, Executive Vice-President and COO Alexander Cauguiran, and Vice-President for Administration and Finance Romeo Dyoco Jr. along with former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor and Central Luzon Tourism Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico, attended the affair.
Mangio said that despite the global crisis, the DMIA remains strong as the most competitive logistics center in Asia and continues to attract investments that include foreign and local carriers that have expressed interest to mount flights at the airport in Clark.
“To make this a reality, we are now promoting the services of DMIA not only to Filipinos but also to other nationalities. Our aim is to attract frequent flyers to travel with ease to the DMIA and experience the destinations of our country and the world-renowned Filipino hospitality thereby promoting Philippine tourism,” Mangio said in his speech.
The road show will promote to the people of Northern and Central Luzon the availability of international and domestic flights at the DMIA provided by foreign and local carriers such as Tiger Airways of Singapore, Air Asia of Malaysia, Asiana Airlines of South Korea and local carriers Cebu Pacific and South East Asian Airlines (Seair).
Asiana Airlines flies daily to Incheon, South Korea with connecting flights to the United States; Tiger Airways flies twice daily to Singapore; Air Asia flies daily to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu; Cebu Pacific flies daily to Singapore, six times a week to Macau, five times a week to Hong Kong, twice a week to Bangkok, and daily to Cebu; and Seair that flies daily to Caticlan for people that want to go to the world-famous Boracay Island Resort.
“This first-ever CIAC North and Central Luzon Road Show will promote these international and domestic flights at the DMIA which will serve the people of the Northern Philippines,” Luciano said.
The North and Central Luzon Road Show kicks-off in Pampanga and will move on to the Central Luzon provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Bulacan and Nueva Ecija then onwards to North Luzon, particularly the provinces in the Ilocos Region, namely, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur and La Union and the Summer Capital of Baguio City.
This week, CIAC will hold another Product Update North Luzon Road Show at the Subic Bay Freeport with various travel agents and local officials in the Zambales and Bataan province are expected to attend the event as part of CIAC’s program in promoting DMIA’s international and domestic flights in the communities.
“This is an opportunity for us to inform the people that there is an airport right at their doorsteps that can bring them to various Southeast Asian countries for business or employment as is the case with our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) most of which come from the Northern Philippine provinces,” Luciano stressed.
Luciano also pointed out that more airlines are expected to mount flights to more countries, particularly to the Middle East, as CIAC has secured various entitlements to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar just this year.
He added that CIAC will also meet with local government officials in the said cities and municipalities as well as travel agencies in the North and Central Luzon where the road show will be conducted to provide them with updates regarding recent developments at the DMIA as well as the Clark Freeport Zone.
DMIA is part of the Clark Civil Aviation Complex that occupies 2,367 hectares of land inside the Clark Freeport Zone. The aviation complex DMIA’s Passenger Terminal is managed and operated by CIAC.
President Arroyo has designated DMIA as the country’s next Premier International Gateway and the center for logistics and services hub in the Asia Pacific Region.