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By Mark Louie P. Roxas Correspondent
CLARK FREEPORT: The Philippines and Kuwait air panels started here
on Wednesday a two-day review of the existing Air Services Agreement
(ASA).
Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC)
President and CEO Victor Jose Luciano described the air talks as
crucial for the development of the Diosdado Macapagal International
Airport (DMIA) as it aims to attract Middle Eastern flights at the
2,500-hectare Civil Aviation Complex.
The two-day air talks between the two countries
were held at the Lakeview function room at the Mimosa Golf Academy
with delegates from the Philippine Air Panel and Kuwait Air Panel.
Luciano and EVP/CEO Alexander Cauguiran will
head the CIAC delegation and join the RP Air Panel which is expected
to negotiate for additional entitlements for Clark.
Presently, CIAC authorities have negotiated six
international air entitlements for the DMIA, which have started to
benefit thousands of overseas Filipino workers and other parts of
the country, especially Central and Northern Luzon.
“This is an opportunity for Clark in
negotiating for air entitlements for the airport so as to attract
Middle East carriers to fly out of DMIA that would benefit the
overseas Filipino workers and the rest of the country,” Luciano
said.
CIAC earlier hosted the Philippines-Hong Kong
Air Consultation Talks in June where Clark got the biggest deal with
6,300 entitlements per week. This translates to 35 flights or around
five flights per day for DMIA.
DMIA is being geared as the next Premier
International Gateway of the country as envisioned by the President.
The airports have serviced both international and domestic flights
since October 2003. Among the foreign carriers are Asiana Airlines
of Korea, Tiger Airways of Singapore, Air Asia of Malaysia and local
carriers such as South East Asian Airlines (Seair), Zest Air
formerly Asian Spirit, Cebu Pacific Air, SEAIR and ZEST Airways.
Cebu Pacific Air is slated to mount daily
international flights at DMIA on November 8 via Clark-Singapore, and
Hong Kong and four times per week to Macau and Bangkok. The air
carrier had started its daily flights to Cebu out of DMIA on October
1.
Luciano announced that Asiana Airlines has
scheduled two times a day flights starting on January 1. A number of
air cargo international carriers have also scheduled regular flight
to and from DMIA.
With the unabated increases of air passengers
coming in and out of DMIA, CIAC authorities have finalized their
plans to set up air-conditioned tents for incoming and outgoing air
passengers pending the construction of the proposed second P6.5
billion Terminal 2. Luciano explained that the tent structures would
be needed in accommodating the increasing number of air passengers.
Earlier, Luciano announced that the proposed
second terminal was designed to accommodate 6 to 8 billion air
passengers annually, while the existing terminal can accommodate 1
to 2 million passengers annually.
Sec. Rene Diaz, director of the Civil
Aeronautics Board (CAB) who arrived here yesterday for the two-day
Philippine-Kuwait air talks also took occasion to encourage the more
than 10 million OFWs and senior citizens abroad to fly through DMIA
this Christmas season for their convenience rather than through the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila, which he said,
has become overcrowded for returning passengers.
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