Thursday, September 4, 2008 [ philstar.com ]
The Ayala Group has expressed interest in undertaking the construction as well as management and operation of the second terminal of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga, a project estimated to cost around $142 million.
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano told The STAR that there are at least 11 foreign and local bidders that have signified their interest in building and operating the DMIA second terminal, which will have a capacity of eight million passengers.
Aside from the Ayala group, he revealed that other parties that have secured the bid documents include Asia Emerging Dragons Corp. (AEDC), a group of taipans led by Lucio Tan. AEDC earlier lost in its legal battle to acquire the right to operate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, after government’s contract with Piatco-Fraport was declared null and void. AEDC was the original proponent of NAIA Terminal 3 when it made an unsolicited offer to government, but eventually lost to Piatco.
Another group that has signified intentions of bidding for the construction and operation of DMIA Terminal 2 is construction company FF Cruz, Luciano said.
The second terminal will be a joint venture undertaking between the private sector and the government, with the former having a 70-percent stake and the latter, 30 percent.
Luciano said the project will be entirely private sector funded, with government’s equity in the form of the land as well as the authority that will given to the winning bidder to operate on a joint venture basis.
He said the DMIA is envisioned as the future international gateway of the Philippines, with an expanded first terminal capable of handling two million passengers.
Luciano said the opening of the bids will be held sometime in the middle of this month.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific (CEB), the airline brand of the Gokongwei’s JG Summit Holdings Inc., said yesterday it will start operating international flights out of DMIA starting Nov. 8 this year.
Luciano revealed that Philippine Airlines (PAL) has also expressed interest in setting up a hub in Clark.
CEB president and CEO Lance Gokongwei emphasized that Clark is the gateway for central and northern Luzon and CEB’s fourth operational hub. “With aircraft based in Clark, Manila, Cebu and Davao, we can now offer the convenience of flying at affordable fares to ‘every Juan’ across the Philippine archipelago,” he said.
He pointed out that airline service will play a pivotal role in economic growth in Clark, and CEB is committed to being a catalyst for this growth. “Trade and tourism, among other things, generally prosper with increased accessibility,” he added.
Gokongwei said they expect a huge potential for growth in this part of the country, pointing out that DMIA has a catchment area covering eight million people within a 100-kilometer radius.
CEB will base an Airbus A319 aircraft in Clark and will operate daily flights from Clark to Hong Kong and Singapore; four times weekly to Macau; and three times weekly to Bangkok. It will also operate its Cebu-Clark flights daily starting Oct. 1 using its ATR 72-500 aircraft.
The new international services are introduced with a zero fare, with the seat sale running from September 4 to 10 and valid for travel from Nov. 8 to Dec. 17, 2008. More than 10,000 seats have been allocated for the Clark hub seat sale.
CEB is the only Filipino carrier operating international flights out of Clark and is the only airline offering a direct Clark-Hong Kong and Clark-Bangkok service. Other carriers operating in Clark include Tiger, Air Asia, Asiana and Seair.
Aside from the $40-million investment in the aircraft that will be fully based in Clark, CEB is also investing in the necessary crew and ground support in Clark.
Gokongwei pointed out that CEB’s Clark hub is the company’s third investment in the area. The first was its investment in a fully automated simulator and the second was made last year when the airline entered into a joint venture with Singapore Airlines for a heavy maintenance facility in Clark.
Groundbreaking for this is scheduled for the second quarter of next year and is expected to create 500 new jobs. CEB invested around S$70 million in this joint venture project. Aside from servicing the maintenance requirements of CEB in Clark, Gokongwei said they hope to get the contracts to maintain the aircraft of the other airlines operating at DMIA.
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