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CLARK
FREEPORT ZONE—Plans to develop the legacy terminal of
the sprawling Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA)
here are underway with the signing of a memorandum of
agreement between the Clark International Airport Corp.
(CIAC) and a Chinese consortium.
CIAC
president and chief executive officer Victor Jose
Luciano said the consortium is composed of Beijing Urban
Construction International Co. Ltd. of China, Cheong
Construction Pte. Ltd. of Singapore, Synergy
International Resources Group Co. Ltd., Liberty Builders
and Development Corp. and the Philippine Regional
Investment Development Corp., all based in the
Philippines.
Luciano
said the consortium will prepare the feasibility study
for the development of DMIA Phase 1 expected to service
legacy airlines and elevate the status of the airport
into a world-class international passenger hub.
“The
feasibility study will be prepared by the consortium at
no cost to the Philippine government,” Luciano said.
The DMIA
Phase I development will be donated to CIAC “which shall
have the right to use all or any part of the said
feasibility study in its own autonomous plans and
operations.”
Luciano
and CIAC chairman Nestor Mangio signed the MOA with
consortium representatives Yuan Jing Xue and Edwin Ching
in the presence of President Arroyo on Wednesday.
Projects
under the Phase I Development Plan of the DMIA include
the construction of Terminal 2 (T-2), an
Airport
Plaza, a Gateway Terminal, parallel and connecting
taxiways, a runway extension, freight terminals,
logistics area, an apron, a control tower, a fire
station, and the Lufthansa Technik Phils. area.
At the
same time, the President also witnessed the contract
signing with Maiscor-Gate Gourmet for in-flight catering
services for airlines operating at the Clark airport.
Luciano
said Miascor-Gate Gourmet will invest an initial $1
million to provide in-flight catering for several
airlines operating at the DMIA.
He said
the in-flight catering pact will guarantee 4,000 meals a
day and is expected to attract long-haul airlines.
The
catering contract was signed between Luciano and Miascor-Gate
Gourmet chairman Jovino Lorenzo Jr.
President Arroyo was at the
Clark airport
Wednesday to activate the $9.3-million modern terminal
radar system that will make it a globally competitive,
safe and reliable airport not only in the
Philippines
but throughout the Asian region.
Luciano
said the Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) at the
DMIA is the “most modern in the country” and makes the
Clark airport at par with that of other neighboring airports in
Asia. The all-weather radar system can detect incoming
and outgoing aircraft within a radius of 60 to 220
nautical miles round-the-clock.
He said
the radar system ensures the safety of passenger
aircraft and would speed up landing, departure, and air
traffic at the DMIA, addresses the need of airliners
calling for the installation of necessary facilities for
navigational purposes.
“The
radar is our response to the clamor of cargo and budget
airlines such as United Parcel Service (UPS) and Tiger
Airways of Singapore, Air Asia of Malaysia, Asiana of
South Korea and Hong Kong Airlines of China,” Luciano
said. |
