Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano led the launching of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2008 Project for the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) aimed at improving the delivery of services especially in operations and passenger facilitation at the DMIA to become globally-competitive.
At the same time, Luciano said he is confident that the DMIA will continue to fly higher this year despite the global recession.
“This ISO project will further improve the quality of service at the airport as we have to be at par with the leading airports in the world,” Luciano said during the project at the Mimosa Convention Center in the Clark Freeport.
CIAC has tapped the services of Danilo Carreon and Elmer Cruz as consultants for the ISO-9001:2008 Project for the airport.
Luciano said the ISO-9001:2008 Project will standardize and systematize the departmental processes and procedures that cover passenger facilitation and passenger terminal operations at the DMIA.
He noted that ISO-9001:2008 certification will benefit the riding public as it will make travel easier and comfortable at the airport.
A Quality Management System (QMS), Luciano said, improves business operations, creates a positive effect on investment and growth and establishes a competitive advantage for CIAC.
“This will develop a QMS at the DMIA that meets international quality standards. With a QMS in place, CIAC will be focused towards its quality goals,” he stressed.
Luciano said CIAC has tapped leading firms in the country that provide ISO 9001:2008 services to facilitate the undertakings of CIAC in its bid to improve the quality management system of the airport.
“The institution of a QMS at the DMIA will, aside from improving operations, will also attract more investments which will make the DMIA globally-competitive,” he pointed out.
He said CIAC has already formed an ISO Committee composed of CIAC officers and employees from the corporation’s various departments who will work together for the effective and efficient implementation of the ISO 9001:2008 Project for the year 2009.
The ISO 9001:2008 program is in accordance with Executive Order No. 605 and Administrative Order No. 161 directing government agencies, including Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and Government Financial Institutions (GFIs) to adopt the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Program.
The event was attended by CIAC Executive Vice-President and COO Alexander Cauguiran, Vice-President for Administration and Finance Romeo Dyoco Jr., CDC Directors Max Sangil and Frankie Villanueva, Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) President Jeannie Del Rosario-Ng and CIAC officials and employees.
As this developed, Luciano expressed confidence that the DMIA will continue to fly higher this year despite the global recession.
“The DMIA will fly higher than 2008 especially now that there is more interest coming from the airlines,” Luciano told reporters during the launching of the ISO-9001:2008 Project.
He expressed confidence that the DMIA will be able to generate at least 800,000 to 1 million international passengers this year due to the interest of airlines to mount international flights at the airport.
“Were trying to reach 1 million international passengers this year,” he said.
DMIA currently hosts various air carriers at the 
2,367-hectare Civil Aviation Complex. Among these are Tiger Airways of Singapore flying the Clark-Singapore, Air Asia of Malaysia Clark-Kuala Lumpur and Kotakinabalu, Asiana Airlines of Korea via Clark-Incheon in South Korea; and local carrier Cebu Pacific Air via Clark-Hong Kong, Thailand, Macau and Singapore. South East Asian Airlines (Seair) flies the Clark-Caticlan route.
Two other airlines, the Spirit of Manila Airlines and Zest Air (formerly Asian Spirit) are slated to mount flights at the DMIA this year which is expected to boost the development of the airport.
The DMIA averages at least 77 flights per week in both international and domestic flights. DMIA has become one of the busiest airports in the country which is geared as the Premier International Gateway envisioned by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.