If you've traveled by air, then you know the hardships and the difficulties that travelers experience especially when they are about to go to the airport. The traffic congestion at NAIA has been so bad that it was the reason why several airports in various parts of the island have been started.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) made the announcement that the new terminal of the Clark International Airport (CRK) is near completion through their Official Facebook post. The DOTr said that the new passenger terminal building (PTB); which will amplify CRK’s current 4.2 million annual passenger capacity to 12.2 million, was 99.14 percent complete as of June 30 despite the strict health restrictions due to the implementation of quarantine measures in Luzon.
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Moreover, the DOTr said that once they complete it, the Clark Airport Terminal will further advance the operational capacity of the airport. This will boost the operations of the CRK and can be used by many people who plan on traveling.
Envisioned to be the keystone in spurring economic progress and development in Central Luzon, the new PTB, once completed, will boost the operational capacity of the CRK, and will triple its passenger volume."
Build, Build, Build Program
The department assured that even amidst the pandemic, the resumption of the development was expedited at an accelerated pace. Clark Airport Terminal, which is relegated as “Asia’s Next Premier Gateway,” is one of the key projects of under the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.
The further development of the Clark Airport Terminal would help alleviate air traffic congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). In addition to that, there would be health and safety precautionary measures to be observed.
Under the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program of the Duterte Administration, construction work for the airport expansion project is being rolled out at an accelerated pace. And [amid] the current pandemic, stringent health and safety measures were put in place, when work resumed."
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DOTr regarded the facility a “keystone” in the economic development of Central Luzon, which is north of Metro Manila. The development of Clark Airport Terminal will likewise open for more job opportunities, bolster tourism, and “other socio-economic endeavors” in the region.
Direct link between the Clark Main Zone and Clark International Airport to New Clark City
During the pre-State of the Nation Address virtual briefing, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said that the first phase of the 19.8-km. access road to CRK from New Clark City in Tarlac is near completion at 88 percent.
Once the three (3) phases are complete, Villar said the road would create a direct link from the Clark Main Zone and CRK to New Clark City. This will make the travel time less and faster and will absolutely decrease the traffic congestion in the areas of where the NAIA is.
CRK has been operated and maintained by the private consortium Lipad since 2019. Closed since April due to the pandemic, it had resumed international flights for returning Filipinos back on June 5.
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Funded by the the Bases Conversion and Development Authority at a cost of P15 billion, megawide-GMR has been building the structure since late 2018.
As per the declaration of Lipad, it is to be functional in July of this year. Basically, when it's completed, many people would feel the weight or the pressure being lost.
Resumption of international operations
The infamous COVID-19 put a stop on the operations of air travel – both domestic and international. The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) reported that international flight operations have once again resumed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 last Wednesday, July 8.
NAIA Terminal 3 suspended its operations last March 28 as a way to halt the transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It has been effective and efficient to the extent that no foreigners have arrived or left the country since then.
Airlines that will resume international flights at NAIA Terminal 3 on Wednesday include Nippon Airways (ANA), AirAsia Berhad (AK), Cathay Pacific (CX), Emirates (EK), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), Qatar Airways (QR), Singapore Airlines (SQ) and Turkish Airlines (TK).
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However, the operations at the NAIA Terminal 4 shall remain suspended until further notice.
With the development of Clark Airport Terminal, people from the north would not anymore need to travel down south just to get on a plane. The CRK terminal would be the main thoroughfare and the main medium that they can use.
What do you think of the further development of the Clark Airport Terminal? Especially now that it might ease air traffic congestion at NAIA? Would you try to use that said terminal to see how well it has been built and designed?
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