CLARK International Airport will soon have a dedicated road network connecting it to major expressways to make travel to and from the facility smoother and faster.
New airside facilities are also planned to be constructed this year, with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) announcing that it has allocated P2.5 billion for this undertaking.
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President Arrey Perez on Tuesday said that they had started the process for the detailed architectural and engineering design of the Clark Direct Access Link project, which would connect the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) straight to the airport.
Perez's statement comes at the heels of a report from Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp., the consortium that operates and manages Clark airport, that passenger volumes hit nearly two million in 2023, 158-percent more from a 2022 record.
"The hassle-free direct access link will provide travelers the 'sense of arrival' — a feeling of welcome and of entering a gateway to exciting new places — from a faster yet comfortable trip that will enhance the impression of our award-winning airport whose number of flights and passengers continue to grow," Perez said.
The Clark Direct Access Link will span 2.7 kilometers, featuring north- and south-bound toll plazas connecting to the SCTEx and is expected to be completed in 2026.
"Apart from the faster and more comfortable trip for travelers, especially coming from Metro Manila and the northern parts of Luzon, the road project will exponentially boost potential for partners, locators, and investors in the airport complex that we are strongly pushing for development," Perez said.
The road network project is part of the horizontal infrastructure development efforts of the agency at the Clark Civil Aviation Complex.
Also on Tuesday, BCDA President and CEO Joshua Bingcang told reporters that the new airside facilities would include aprons for plane parking and taxiways to accommodate the needs of three foreign logistics firms which would soon be operating at the Clark airport.
Although he did not identify the three firms, he said these companies had already signed contracts with the BCDA to develop their logistics hubs at Clark and would need aprons to park their planes.
He said the three firms were eyeing Clark as a logistics hub to serve as a gateway to Japan, Singapore, Korea, China, and Hong Kong.
Development of the airside facilities will generate some 3,000 to 4,000 jobs, Bingang added.
"These [facilities] need to be done immediately. This year we have to start the construction. The logistics firms have given me two years because they are eyeing two years for them to start operations," Bingcang added.
Clark International Airport serves a total of 19 airlines, connecting the Luzon region to 19 domestic and 14 international destinations. Its four-level terminal spans 110,000 square meters and can serve eight million passengers annually.
Last December, Perez said the airport would bid out seven infrastructure projects this 2024 to improve airport services and boost tourism. Three of the projects are to be private-public partnerships (PPPs) while four will be infrastructure ventures.
WITH A REPORT FROM JENICA FAYE GARCIA
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