Tigerair Philippines is increasing domestic and international flights out of Clark International Airport via Davao in Southern Philippines next week and Korea and Japan early next year.
The move also bodes well for Clark Airport in Pampanga, which likely suffered a decline in passenger volume after Philippines Air Asia temporarily halted operations at what has been called Metro Manila’s secondary air gateway.
Tigerair Philippines, the domestic unit of the Singaporean budget airline, said in a statement that its Clark-Davao flights will be three times a week starting on Dec. 17.
Tigerair Philippines CEO Olive Ramos added that the airline would fly to Incheon in South Korea and Tokyo, Japan next year.
“Clark International Airport is a vital location for our operations especially in our flights in the Asia Pacific region, and we intend to expand our presence in the area,” she stressed.
At present, Tigerair flies to Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok with domestic flights to Kalibo via Clark Airport.
Ramos said that the company would focus on Clark because of its potential as a gateway to the North. Also, Clark is a tax-free zone, making operations out of its airport less costly for carriers.
Lower operations costs mean more affordable rates for travelers, she said.
“Operating in Clark offers many incentives, such as the fuel is tax free, and fuel is 60 to 70 percent of the cost of operating carriers,” Ramos added.
In the same statement, Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Luciano welcomed the additional domestic flights of Tigerair as this would boost passenger volume at Clark Airport.
Luciano also noted in the statement that the French and Philippine governments were set to sign a memorandum of agreement that would pave the way for French firm Airport Du Paris to plan and design a separate Budget Terminal for Clark Airport.
He said that the funds for the project would be provided by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) costing about P7.2 billion, which will be in two phases. The Budget Terminal capacity is about 15 million passengers annually.
Tigerair also flies domestic via Naia Terminal 4 with flights from Manila-Cebu, Manila-Davao, Manila-Tacloban, Manila-Bacolod, Manila-Iloilo, Manila-Kalibo, and Manila-Puerto Princesa. Its international flights also include Manila-Phuket.