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CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga: The Changi Airport International (CAI) of
Singapore is seriously considering the development of the Diosdado
Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in the latter’s bid in
becoming the Philippine’s premier gateway.
CAI Vice-President for Strategic Projects Jose
V.A. Pantangco, along with a delegation of airport developers
recently met with top officials of the Clark International Airport
Corporation (CIAC) led by its President and CEO Victor Jose I.
Luciano.
Pantangco toured the DMIA facilities and noted
that the airport “has the potential for growth and we hope that we
would be able to get involved in the development of this airport.”
CIAC expected to increase passenger capacity in
DMIA from 500,000 per year to at least 2 million once the expansion
project of the existing terminal is completed.
In 2007, the DMIA registered over 533,000
domestic and international passengers up from the 480,000 passengers
recorded in 2006. For this year, DMIA is expected to service over
half-a-million air passengers.
Luciano briefed Pantangco and his group on the
various on-going developments at DMIA. The delegation also toured
DMIA’s passenger terminal and was impressed by the various
improvements of its facilities especially the on-going expansion of
the passenger terminal.
CAI is a subsidiary of the Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore (CAAS), which manages and invests in airports
worldwide as well as builds a global portfolio of investments in
airport and airport related assets.
CAAS is the owner-operator of Singapore’s
Changi Airport that has been awarded the “Best Airport of the
World” for 20 consecutive years now. It is also considered as the
20th busiest airport in the world and the fifth busiest in Asia by
passenger traffic.
DMIA is also home to several other foreign air
carriers such as Tiger Airways of Singapore, Air Asia of Malaysia,
Asiana Airlines of Korea, and China Southern Airlines of China.
-- Mark Louie P. Roxas
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