Diosdado Macapagal International Airport

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Diosdado Macapagal International Airport
Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Diosdado Macapagal
Sulapawang Internasyonal ning Diosdado Macapagal


Exterior of Diosdado Macapagal International Airport
IATA: CRK – ICAO: RPLC
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC)
Serves Angeles City
Location Clark Special Economic Zone, Angeles City, Pampanga
Elevation AMSL 148 m / 484 ft
Coordinates 15°11′09″N 120°33′37″E / 15.18583, 120.56028
Website www.clarkairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02R/20L 3,200 10,499 Concrete
02L/20R 3,200 10,499 Concrete
Source: DAFIF[1][2]
For the military use of this airfield prior to December 1991, see Clark Air Base

Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA, Filipino: Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Diosdado Macapagal, Kapampangan: Sulapawang Internasyonal ning Diosdado Macapagal), also called Clark International Airport (IATA: CRK, ICAO: RPLC), is the main airport serving the immediate vicinity of the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) and the general area of Angeles City in the Philippines. It is located on an area of the CSEZ formerly used as the airfield of the Clark Air Base, which was closed in 1991 by the U.S. Air Force after the explosion of Mount Pinatubo, subsequently cleaned and reopened as the CSEZ.

The two runways in DMIA are capable of NASA Space Shuttle landings. However, it is no longer listed as an active landing site[3], and has never had a Space Shuttle land there[4].

The airport is managed by the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), a government-owned and/or controlled corporation.

The airport is being developed to be the Premier Gateway Airport of the Philippines replacing Ninoy Aquino International Airport by year 2010.[5]

Contents

[edit] History

For information on the history of the DMIA before the explosion of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and the departure of U.S. forces from the Philippines, see Clark Air Base.

After the cleanup of the base, which was covered in lahar after the Mount Pinatubo explosion and the typhoon that followed, the base was reopened in 1993 as the CSEZ.

During the administration of former Philippine President Fidel Ramos, the airport was designated to be the future primary international gateway of the Philippines and the only international airport of Manila and its neighboring provinces when Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila has reached full capacity and can no longer be expanded.

In the early 2000s, the airport was renamed by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the DMIA, in memory of her father, Diosdado Macapagal, the ninth Philippine president, who was a native of the province of Pampanga, where the airport is located.

During March, 2007, Gate Gourmet and Miascor invested $3million (USD) to construct a in-flight catering service facility. The new facility will be able to prepare over 4,000 meals a day for the airlines operating from the airport. The facility is being constructed on a 3,000m² site adjacent to the CIAC headquarters.[6]

On October 12, 2007, an Airbus A380 MSN009 test aircraft landed in DMIA and demonstrated that it can be used under normal airline operating conditions, this further shows that DMIA can operate the Airbus A380 and become the premier airport of the Philippines in future. [7]

[edit] Terminal statistics

[edit] Passenger movements

Year Passenger movements
2005 225,400
2006 470,867[8]
2007 533,619[9]

[edit] Terminal complex

Statistics Current Terminal Stage 1 Stage 2 Premier Gateway Terminal
Capacity
(passengers)		 5,000,000[10] 15,000,000[10] 20,000,000[11] >70,000,000
Scheduled completion date In operation In operation
(January 2008)[10]		 2009[12] 2012[13]

[edit] Future plans

 This article or section contains information about a planned or expected expansion of an existing airport.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the airport expansion approaches, and as more information becomes available on it.
The master plan to develop DMIA, scheduled for completion by 2010
The master plan to develop DMIA, scheduled for completion by 2010

After ten years since the conception of the Clark International Airport Corporation and after conducting various master development plans for the airport in Clark, the CIAC Board finally approved a Master Plan for the development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport. The plans are to expand and modernize the existing passenger terminal and turn it into a terminal for low cost airlines and soon to be the country's premier international gateway, making it Manila's Low Cost Airline Terminal and the fourth such terminal in Asia, after Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport. There are also low cost terminals planned for Suvarnabhumi Airport and Penang Airport.

There are also ambitious plans to construct a passenger terminal much bigger and more technologically advanced than Hong Kong International Airport's passenger terminal and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport's passenger terminal and the same size as Beijing Capital Airport Terminal 3. The airport project is similar to Hong Kong's Airport Core Programme.

[edit] Premier Gateway Plan

The project includes and features:

  • Demolition of most airport structures except the existing passenger terminal.
  • Apron of the existing passenger terminal, and the two runways expansion and modernisation of the existing passenger terminal and its conversion into a Low Cost Airline Terminal.
  • The extension of the eastern runway to 4000 meters.
  • Construction of a y-shaped main passenger terminal building with 126 jetways (19 which are A380 ready) and a x-shaped satellite concourse with 79 jetways (12 which are A380 ready) and a new control tower in the midfield.
  • Construction of new taxiways and aprons.
  • Construction of four new runways.
  • Construction of a new cargo terminal complex.
  • Construction of an airport plaza which will house the wellwishers facility.
  • Construction of Management offices, business center and airport hotel and will also have a retail area.
  • Construction of a Ground Transportation Center (GTC) below the airport plaza which will house an Airport Railway station, the airport bus station, the taxi station and the car rentals.
  • Construction of a People Mover Automatic People Mover (APM) connecting the airport plaza and the GTC with the main passenger terminal and the satellite terminal
  • Construction of a new railway with 2 separate lines, one for the Airport Railway and another for the NorthRail commuter and high speed rail line serving Manila and the northern provinces of Luzon.
  • Construction of 2 interchanges from the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway which will connect to the existing North Luzon Expressway.

Additional features:

  • Three parallel runways capable of NASA space shuttle landings (one of only three in world).
  • Facility can accommodate the A380 once completed.
  • Will be one of the largest airports in the world.

When completed, it will have:

  • 145 Frontal Rontal Gates and
  • 134 Remote Gates
  • 4 Runways [14]
  • Once completed it can accommodate 110 million passengers annually.[14], becoming one of the largest and most technologically advanced airport in the world.

On 5 February 2007, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the Clark International Airport Corp. to hasten the P56.5-billion or $1.7-billion development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and the approval of $2-million study plan financed by the Korean International Cooperation Agency. In January 2008, the first stage of DMIA's expansion program, the P130-million Terminal Expansion, was completed to accommodate at least 2 million passengers annually.

The second phase of the airport expansion project, dubbed Premier Gateway Terminal as part of its ambition to replace NAIA as the "Premier Gateway to the Philippines", will start on April 2008 and is scheduled to become operational in 2009, to include retrofitting to better accommodate wide-bodied aircraft like Boeing 747-8 & Airbus A380.[15]

[edit] Awards

The Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) chose Diosdado Macapagal International Airport as Low-Cost Airport of the Year 2006[16]

The 2008 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace and Defense Awards chose Diosdado Macapagal International Airport as Airport of the Year (for airports under 15 million passengers category)[17]

[edit] Airlines

The following airlines serve the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (as of March 2008):

[edit] Domestic Wing

[edit] International Wing

[edit] Cargo Airlines

[edit] Former Airlines

[edit] Future Airlines

Diosdado Macapagal International Airport has been recognised as being one of the fastest growing airports in all of the Philippines. The airport is growing at a fast rate, and with this a number of airlines have chosen Diosdado Macapagal International Airport as their newest hub or focus city.

[edit] FedEx

FedEx Express, recently signed an extension of lease in Subic Bay International Airport through 2010. The company also signed an agreement to reserve space for use as a potential hub at Diosdado Macapagal International Airport. The reason for the move would have been the company's decision to use the Airbus A380, an aircraft that Subic Bay International Airport cannot support. However, FedEx recently cancelled their order of A380 due to delays in delivery. They are also exploring Baiyun Airport in China as a potential hub.[18]

[edit] Philippine Airlines

National flag carrier Philippine Airlines and Clark International Airport Corp. are seen to close by first semester of 2008 a deal that allows PAL to construct flight, maintenance, and catering facilities at DMIA.[19]

PAL will be investing US$50 million in putting up strategic facilities at the airport to construct its catering, ground handling and aircraft maintenance facilities.

PAL could move in at DMIA after the second phase of the airport's expansion project.[19]

[edit] Cebu Pacific

The Philippines' Second flag carrier Cebu Pacific has chosen DMIA as it's latest Focus City/HUB for operations. Currently the airline flies from Cebu-Clark only[20]. Cebu Pacific has announced plans to fly internationally from Clark to neighbouring countries. Cebu Pacific's request to begin International Flights out of Clark was unsuccessful after talks failed between airports and the countries concerned. Currently only Charter Flights would be allowed from Clark into the countries Cebu Pacific aimed at flying to. Only Singapore approved Cebu Pacific's Plans, allowing Cebu Pacific to only fly a scheduled Clark-Singapore route.[21]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Airport information for RPLC at World Aero Data. Source: DAFIF.
  2. ^ Airport information for RPLC at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF.
  3. ^ Space Shuttle Emergency Landing Sites
  4. ^ LandingSSatKSC-2005
  5. ^ Hong Kong Express ready for Clark.
  6. ^ air-tech
  7. ^ Airbus A380 MSN009 to embark on route proving tours
  8. ^ DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL AIRPORT POSTS 110% JUMP IN PASSENGER VOLUME. - Journal, Magazine, Article, Periodical
  9. ^ Sun.Star Pampanga - Passenger volume at Clark airport increases
  10. ^ a b c Bright Future for DMIA
  11. ^ Untitled Document
  12. ^ DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL AIRPORT POSTS 110% JUMP IN PASSENGER VOLUME. - Journal, Magazine, Article, Periodical
  13. ^ Philippine Airlines, Second Phase of the Airport Expansion.
  14. ^ a b Clark International Airport Corp. plans to construct three runways
  15. ^ Philippine Airlines, Second Phase of the Airport Expansion.
  16. ^ DMIA bags Low-Cost Airport Award.
  17. ^ DMIA awarded ‘Airport of the Year’ by global consulting group.
  18. ^ Fedex Press Release, Accessed September 2007
  19. ^ a b Philippine Airlines, Clark Int.l Airport Corp to Close Deal Soon
  20. ^ Cebu Pacific Opens Clark - Cebu Service
  21. ^ Lack of reciprocal flight privileges keeps Cebu Pacific international flights grounded at Clark

[edit] External links


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