PAL to launch international, domestic flights at Clark

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is launching on Dec. 16 its first regular international and domestic flights from Clark International Airport (CIA).

This is PAL’s response to President Duterte’s call to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) .

Clark International Airport Corp. president Alexander Cauguiran said PAL president Jaime Bautista gave him the green light to announce that PAL is launching on Dec. 16 its first Clark-Caticlan daily flights.

PAL will add more flights starting January 2017, including daily flights to Cebu, flights to Davao four times a week, weekly flights to Busuanga and flights to Cagayan de Oro thrice a week.

PAL will also launch daily international flights to Incheon, South Korea in January 2017. Cauguiran said that PAL would have a total of 21 flights per week at ClA.

Cebu Pacific Air earlier announced the increase of its flights at CIA, including flights to Hong Kong three to 10 times per week starting in December and Clark-Cebu flights six times per week.

In a forum held here by the Bases Conversion Development Authority, Cauguiran warned that flight congestion at the NAIA has endangered passenger safety.

“NAIA has four terminals designed for 13 million people per year. But last year, it processed 36 million passengers already, so long lines of waiting people often occurred,” he said.

Cauguiran also noted that NAIA’s lone runway allows only 40 flights per movement or one hour for every 40 flights. “Beyond that, you are inviting trouble” because this requirement has often compelled incoming aircraft to stay in the air longer than scheduled before being allowed to land.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines director general Jim Sydiongco said the Legazpi, Dumaguete, Roxas and Caticlan airports could also now accommodate flights in the evening as such are night-rated.

Direct flights to Mindoro Occidental

Meanwhile, budget carrier Air Juan has launched direct flights between Manila and Mamburao, Mindoro Occidental’s capital.

The province’s representative, former governor Josephine Sato, said yesterday the air service would “be a big boost to our efforts to promote Mindoro Occidental as a prime eco-tourism destination.”