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CLARK,
PAMPANGA—Before the end of 2007, a bigger passenger
terminal is expected to be standing at the Diosdado
Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) to accommodate
the increasing influx of tourists in the special
economic zone, recently restored to its status as a free
port.
Victor
Jose Luciano, president and chief executive officer of
the Clark International Airport Corp., told
BusinessMirror the rebidding schedule for the
P68-million Terminal I rehabilitation and expansion
project will start “before the end of February.”
In the
first bidding held January 27, the winning bidder was
not able to meet certain important requirements, causing
the government agency to declare the bidding a failure.
He declined to reveal further details of the failed
bidding.
This
time, Luciano expressed confidence the rebidding “will
not fail as there are many bidders…So far we have 10 and
they have good track records.”
He added
the bidding will be “transparent” and that media,
nongovernment organizations, and the state-run
Commission on Audit will be invited to monitor the
proceedings.
The
expansion of the terminal is designed to accommodate two
million passengers from its current capacity of one
million. Luciano expects the two million passenger
arrivals and departures to be realized this year.
“As of
2006, the total passenger arrivals reached 480,000 from
zero in 2002,” he said. Of last year’s arrivals, 470,867
were international guests (up 110 percent from 224,497
in 2005); while 17,889 were domestic passengers (up 149
percent from 7,816 in 2005). Luciano attributed the
massive jump in arrivals to the entry of low cost
carriers in
Clark.
International carriers Asiana Airlines of South Korea,
Hong Kong Airlines, Tiger Airways of Singapore, Air Asia
of Malaysia, Shanghai Air, a Chinese charter service;
Far Eastern Transport Corp. of Taiwan are using the
airport.
Soon,
they will be joined by Viva Macau, Thai Air Asia of
Thailand and Tair Airlines of Saudi Arabia.
Two
domestic carriers—Southeast Asian Airlines and Asian
Spirit— also use Clark as hubs. The latter suspended its
flights from Clark to Caticlan last October due to the
drop in Korean passengers last year, but aims to resume
the route by April.
According to Luciano, submission of letters of intent by
interested parties is ongoing until February 22. The
bidding will be conducted through open competitive
procedures as specified in the Implementing Rules and
Regulations Part A of Republic Act 9184, or the
Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding
is restricted to parties whose ownership is at least 75
percent by Filipinos, he added. To be eligible for the
rebidding, interested parties should also show a similar
project they have undertaken in the past three years
costing at least 50 percent of the approved budget for
the DMIA expansion project.
A prebid
conference will be held for prequalified bidders on
March 14; actual opening of the bids will be on April 3,
2007. Luciano said the project will be awarded to the
“lowest calculated and responsive bidder” as determined
in the postqualification.
He said
the expanded passenger terminal is projected to be
completed by October, or 210 calendar days after the
winning bidder is awarded the project.
Luciano
said Clark International is also looking at other
possible logistics centers that can be set up at the
airport such as the maintenance, repair and overhaul of
airplanes; warehousing and forwarding; training; and
catering facilities.
He said
the airport is suited for a center for aircraft repairs
since “there are plenty of trained mechanics at
Clark.”
The
Clark Aviation Complex sits on 2,500 hectares consisting
of a 3,200-meter runway, and taxiways designed to
accommodate huge aircraft, aircraft parking apron, a
passenger terminal building, and related facilities. Of
the 2,500 has., about 600 has. is still available for
development. |
