CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, PAMPANGA — The Clark International Airport’s (CRK) stellar revenue performance for 2018 is credited to the continuing regional development campaign of the Duterte administration.
Yesterday, the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) announced it generated a total of PhP1.07 billion in revenues for 2018, a milestone record in the agency’s history. Net profit also grew by an unprecedented 80%, or PhP141.94 million, for a total net income of about PhP319 million.
The Department of Transport (DOTr) attributed the significant increase in revenue operations of the CRK to the strong political will of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to distribute economic and social development to the peripheral areas of Metro Manila such as Clark.
Further, under the solid leadership and guidance of DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, the CRK transformed from being a severely underutilized airport into a very competitive one, recently earning the recognition of being the only Philippine airport to receive a two-star rating for its On-Time Performance in flights.
“These accomplishments would not be possible without the groundwork laid by former CIAC president Alex Cauguiran, and now continued by CIAC’s current management under Jaime Melo,” the transportation chief said.
The DOTr and CIAC also expressed gratitude to the airlines and passengers for the trust and confidence they have given to the Duterte administration.
“The tremendous support this government has received from the airlines and the public pushes us to deliver more and serve better. This inspires us to up the ante in our aviation service,” Secretary Tugade said.
With CRK increasing its operations and activities, the transportation chief added that more infrastructure projects are currently being developed to accommodate the expected rise in passenger volume in the next few years.
“Under the Build Build Build Program, we are boosting CRK operations with a new Passenger Terminal Building designed to increase the airport’s operational capacity to 12.2 million passengers every year. We will also have a railway system that will connect Clark to Manila and all the way to Laguna for a seamless travel and enhanced connectivity throughout Luzon,” Secretary Tugade said.
The expansion of Clark Airport is considered the fastest project implementation by the national government, breaking ground just six months after securing the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board.
The new CRK terminal building forms part of a bigger development plan for North and Central Luzon, which includes other major infrastructure projects such as the rise of New Clark City, and the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway and the Subic-Clark Cargo Railway.
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