CLARK FREEPORT – Clark International Airport has recorded a significant surge in passenger traffic and number of flights this year, recording a 282.2 percent growth with 521.7 percent increase in domestic passengers and 255.57 percent increase in international passengers over the same period last year.
According to Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD), operator of the Clark International Airport, CRK welcomed 434,214 passengers from January to August of this year. Of these, 363,878 flew to overseas destinations while 70,336 traveled to domestic destinations.
These increases are also significant compared to figures posted in pre-pandemic times. All told, there was a total of 16% growth versus pre-pandemic figures. The number of international passengers posted a whopping 31% increase in international passengers.
LIPAD CEO Noel Manankil sees these not just as positive signs of recovery by the travel industry but also of the attraction of the use of the new CRK terminal to travelers.
“CRK achieved these milestones by basically following the countries that are opening their borders,” Manankil said. “Domestic travel, for its part, is expected to grow further in this last quarter with the expected rise in holiday travel.”
Manankil also noted the 129.1 percent increase in the total number of flights from January to August this year versus the same period last year and 14 percent increase versus the same period pre-pandemic.
A total of 3,205 flights from January to August this year departed and arrived from CRK. Of these, 2,429 were international and 776 were domestic.
As these developed, LIPAD reiterated the support provided by partner carriers, especially the Middle Eastern ones, which never stopped operations. These continued flights enabled the country to bring home OFWs who would have been stuck in their places of work during the pandemic.
The airport currently has flights to Cebu, Caticlan, Dubai, Doha, Singapore, Incheon, Pusan and Yangyang.
In addition, Philippine Airlines is launching flights to Busan and Incheon. On the domestic front, Royal Air is inaugurating flights to Caticlan and Air Swift is opening flights to El Nido.
More airlines are also increasing their flight frequency, bringing flights departing and arriving at Clark International Airport to 93 times weekly.
