Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) will launch domestic and international flights out of Clark International Airport (CRK) starting December in response to the call of the government to utilize the North Luzon hub.
Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) president Alexander Cauguiran said PAL president Jaime Bautista gave him the green light to announce that PAL will officially commence on December 16 its Clark-Caticlan daily flights at CRK.
Cauguiran said the move is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s program to decongest Metro Manila and use underutilized CRK as an alternative airport to the crowded Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
He also said that PAL will be adding more domestic flights starting January 2017, including Clark-Cebu daily flights; Clark-Davao daily flights; Clark-Busuanga flights four times weekly; and flights to Cagayan de Oro three times a week.
Meanwhile, daily international flights to Incheon, South Korea will also begin in January next year.
Cauguiran said the airline will be having a total of 21 flights per week at CRK.
“This is a welcome development that augurs well [for] the achievement of overall socio-economic objectives of the Duterte administration that include the development and full utilization of the Clark International Airport,” Cauguiran said in a statement.
Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air had earlier announced the increase of its flights at CRK, with the Clark-Hong Kong route expanding from three times weekly to 10 times weekly starting December, while its domestic Clark-Cebu route will increase from four times weekly to six times weekly.
