‘Iconic’ terminal to rise in clark
The Duterte administration will achieve an impressive feat by the middle of next year when it opens the new terminal of the Clark International Airport.
The “iconic” terminal—which is expected to triple the Clark airport’s capacity from the current 4.2 million passengers—will achieve several milestones when it starts operations.
It will be the first airport in the country to secure the coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification from the US Green Building Council; the first hybrid public-private partnership project implemented under the Duterte administration; reportedly, the fastest infrastructure project to be implemented by the national government, thus setting the template for all other projects under the “Build Build Build” program.
And, if plans push through, it will also be the first airport in the country to have a parallel runway system.
“Infrastructure projects like the new Clark terminal create value for the properties. It’s the infrastructure that drives development. If there’s an airport, good roads and public transport, then the investors and locators will come. It’s true when they say that if you build it, they will come,” said Vivencio B. Dizon, president and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
“With the new infrastructure projects (here in Clark), you would see a huge boom in investments in this region. And that’s important because that means, there will be a lot of jobs available for everybody here. When the airport is done, believe me, you’ll see factories, hotels, theme parks, a mountain resort, convention centers being built by the private sector. Infrastructure creates so much momentum and has a high multiplier effect for the entire regional economy,” he added.
The new terminal is being constructed by a consortium led by Megawide Construction Corp. and India’s GMR Infrastructure, while the architectural concept came from the famed BUDJI+ROYAL Architecture+Design.
Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (Lipad) Corp., meanwhile, bagged in August this year the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) concession for the new terminal.
Lipad is a consortium comprised of Filinvest Development Corp., JG Summit Holdings Inc., Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions Inc., and Changi Airports Philippines (I) Pt. Ltd.
As of July this year, 74.58 percent of the new terminal in Clark had been completed, making it on track to start operations by mid-2020.
The new terminal covers a total area of 110,000 square meters, and will have 18 passenger board bridges and 23 gates.
