MOUNTING flights to the United States and its territories will help Clark International Airport generate more revenues, amid increased demand for flight services from the Filipino community in North America.
Martin Valera, a tourism director for the Ilocos region, cited the growing number of Filipinos living in Los Angeles and Hawaii as the main reason Clark should hasten talks with prospective airlines for these services.
“More than 250,000 Ilocanos live in Hawaii. If there will be direct Clark-Honolulu flights, that would be beneficial for Clark and for the Ilocano community as well, as more people will be able to visit Region 1,” he said.
Hawaii ranks second among states hosting the most Filipinos in the US, comprising 10 percent among all those based in that country.
Data from 2014 showed California was home to 47 percent of the total number of Filipinos living in the US.
“There are 3 million Ilocanos living in California,” Valera said.
The Ilocos region comprises the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan. Filipinos—specifically Ilocanos—are the third-largest ethnic group in Hawaii, next to the Chinese and the Japanese.
Alexander Cauguiran, who heads the government-run Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC), said he is hopeful the US-bound flights will be operational within the year.
He did not disclose which airlines his group is in talks with.
“We are also negotiating with airlines to mount flights via Clark to Japan, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan and Thailand,” Cauguiran said.
Currently, Clark’s daily and weekly flights only go as far as Dubai and Doha in the Middle East.
Within the year, there will be several flights that will be launched from Clark, including services to Shanghai by China Eastern Airlines.
Valera said migrants and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will benefit greatly from adding international destinations, as direct flights from Clark will minimize the toll and fuel costs given its proximity to the Ilocos region.
“When we use Clark International Airport, we think of convenience, as we save time when we get to our destinations,” he said.
Clark currently has 130 international flights and 114 domestic flights weekly. Traffic is targeted to reach 1.5 million passengers by the end of 2017.
In addition to expanding its commercial horizons, the airport’s new terminal-building project is scheduled to be finished by the first quarter of 2020.
With Ashley Manabat