Clark International Airport passenger traffic seen at 2.5 million by end 2018

Clark International Airport

There is a possibility that Clark International Airport (CIAC) will have served 2.5 million passengers by year’s end, after it has breached last year’s record of 1.51 million passengers with still almost five months to go.

“We have a total of 1,538,958 travelers at Clark as of August 8 and at this rate, we will be able to reach the 2.5 million mark by the end of the year,” CIAC president Alexander Cauguiran said in a statement on Thursday.

Cauguiran also noted that the recorded 1.53 million passenger traffic is the highest so far for CIAC since it was opened in 1995.

“So far, this is the highest record in the history of CIAC since 1995, and our aim is to reach or surpass the 2.5 million passengers this year which will mean more revenues for the government and more flights to come,” he added.

According to CIAC, the day with the highest passenger traffic was on May 26, when 8,662 passengers used the airport.  The government-owned corporation also said that on average, Clark airport serves 7,000 passengers daily and provides 462 flights weekly, 166 of which are international and 296 are domestic flights.

Cauguiran has attributed the increase in departures and arrivals to the current administration’s move to develop the airport, through the Department of Transportation and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

Cauguiran added that growth is still expected for CIAC as more airlines have pledged to create trips using it. Negotiations are now ongoing for flights to Bangkok in Thailand and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, according to Cauguiran.

At present international flights going to Doha, Qatar and Dubai in the Middle East, Incheon and Busan in South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei and Singapore use the CIAC.  The airport also services flights to major domestic destinations including Cebu, Bacolod, Davao and Palawan.  /muf