Clark International Airport

History

In 1993, the former Clark Air Base was reopened as the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) after the area was cleared from lahar debris from the Mount Pinatubo explosion and a typhoon that followed. During the administration of former President Fidel V. Ramos, it was designated to be the future primary international gateway of the Philippines and the major international airport of Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces when Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila has reached full capacity and can no longer be expanded.

In 2003, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo renamed Clark International Airport as the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), in memory of her father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, and ordered the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) in February 2007 to fund the US$1.7 billion (PH₱76.5 billion) expansion of DMIA and the approval of a US$2 million (PH₱90 million) study plan financed by the Korean International Cooperation Agency. The first stage of Clark Airport's expansion program, a PH₱130 million terminal expansion, was completed in January 2008 to accommodate more than 2 million passengers annually. In February 2012, the airport's name reverted to Clark International Airport, but the passenger terminal continued to bear Diosdado Macapagal's name.

Terminal 1 (Diosdado Macapagal Terminal)

The $3 million (PH₱130 million) expanded Terminal 1 (now called the "Diosdado Macapagal Terminal" since the renaming of the airport back to Clark), designed to accommodate one million to two million passengers annually, was inaugurated by President Arroyo on April 2008 to serve the growing passenger volume due to the entry of foreign and local budget carriers at the airport. Completed in April 2010, the $12 million (PH₱550 million) expansion added a second story, arrival and departure lounges, and two aerobridges to the terminal building. The expansion boosts Clark's capacity to five million. Once Terminal 2 is completed, Terminal 1 will take over all domestic routes.

Future Development

The future international gateway for the country is currently being built at Clark International Airport. It is planned to become one of the world's biggest in terms of terminal size and land area. A high speed railway system will be built to connect the new airport to Metro Manila. Officially, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the only airport serving the Manila area. However, both NAIA and Clark International Airport (CRK) serve the national capital and surrounding provinces, with CRK catering mostly to low-cost carriers that avail themselves of the lower landing fees than those charged at NAIA.

Terminal 2

The Terminal 2 of Clark comes in two phases. It will be dedicated to international traffic. It has a total floor area of 35,000 square meters and a 7 million-passenger capacity per year. Total investment for this phase is estimated at US$150 million (PH₱6.75 billion). It includes the expansion of the eastern runway to 4000 meters., a new runway, a new cargo terminal complex, and a new control tower.

Budget Terminal

On December 16, 2013, it was announced that the Philippines and France are set to sign a memorandum of agreement for the plan and design of the budget terminal, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2016. The terminal will be designed by Aéroports de Paris and it would have a capacity of 15 million passengers per year.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 is expected to make DMIA handle 80 million passengers a year. When completed, Clark Airport will have:

Runways

Clark Airport has two 3,200-meter parallel runways, one of which will be extended to 4,000 meters to accommodate new generation wide-bodied aircraft. The runways' descriptions include:

Clark Aerotropolis

The Clark International Airport is being pushed to become the Philippine's first aerotropolis with businesses and industries relocating to the former American airfield complex. The Clark complex used to be the hub of UPS cargo and Subic Bay was the hub of FedEx cargo until both relocated to China.

Awards

Motor vehicle

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) provides access through the airport, with two exits: Clark North and Clark South interchange, where the latter leads directly to Clark. Passengers with connecting flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila can take North Luzon Expressway which is linked via SCTEx, then passing through Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Roxas Boulevard and finally onto NAIA Road. The future corridor between NAIA and Clark International Airport is the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 from NLEx to SLEx and NAIA Expressway from Skyway and SLEx to NAIA Terminals. The target completion of the NLEx-SLEx elevated expressway link project is 2019.

Park and ride services are provided within the airport as well.

Public transportation

Regular bus services going directly to Metro Manila are served by Partas and Philtranco; although not operating after midnight hours. By 15 January 2013, there will be a newly constructed lounge in TriNoma Mall that will operate 24 hours a day and will be initially offered by Genesis, Five Star, and Philtranco.

Clark is also served by airconditioned jeepneys en route to nearby Dau bus terminal and SM City Clark. Most buses running to the northern provinces of Luzon and back to Metro Manila include a stopover at Dau bus terminal.

Accidents and incidents