Clark airport expansion to cost P160M

CLARK, PAMPANGA – With the increasing influx of tourists into this special economic zone, the government will begin expanding the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport this year. The initial phase of the expansion is projected to cost P160 million. Victor Jose I. Luciano, president and chief executive officer of the Clark International Airport Corp. said of the total cost, P68 million will be for the rehabilitation and expansion of the DMIA passenger terminal I alone. The rest of the amount will be for the purchase of modern equipment such as X-ray machines, baggage conveyor belts, etc. Announcement of the rebidding schedule for the passenger terminal I will be made “before the end of February," he told GMANews.TV. In the first bidding held last January 27, the winning bidder was not able to meet certain important requirements of the CIAC 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 that the rebidding “will not fail as there are many bidders…. So far we have 10 (interested bidders) and they have good track records." He added that the bidding will be “transparent" and that media, non-government organizations, and the state-run Commission on Audit will be invited to monitor the procedures. The expansion of the current terminal is designed to accommodate two million passengers from its current capacity of one million passengers which the CIAC executive said would be “attainable" 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. The DMIA is currently being served by six international carriers – Asiana Airlines of South Korea, Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong), Tiger Airways (Singapore), Air Asia (Malaysia), Shanghai Air (China, chartered service), Far Eastern Transport Corp. (Taiwan) – and soon, Viva Macau (Macau), Thai Air Asia (Thailand), and Tair Airlines (Saudi Arabia). Two domestic carriers also use Clark as its hubs – Southeast Asian Airlines and Asian Spirit. The latter, however, 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 for the DMIA passenger terminal I expansion and rehabiltiation is ongoing until Feb. 22. The bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations Part A (IRR-A) of Republic Act 9184 (R.A. 9184), or the Government Procurement Reform Act. Bidding is restricted to entities whose ownership is at least 75-percent by Filipinos, he added. To be eligible for the rebidding, interested parties also should be able to show a similar project they had undertaken in the past three years costing at least 50 percent of the approved budget for the DMIA project. A pre-bid conference will be held for prequalified bidders on March 14, while actual opening of the bids for the project will be on April 3, 2007. Luciano said the project will be awarded to the “lowest calculated and responsive bidder" as determined in post-qualification meetings. The expanded passenger terminal is projected to be completed by October, 2007, or 210 calendar days after the winning bidder has been awarded the project. Meanwhile, Luciano said CIAC is also looking at other possible logistics centers that can be set up at the DMIA such as the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of airplanes; warehousing and forwarding; as well as training and catering facilities. He said neighboring countries such as India and China have undertaken major plane acquisitions and in due time, could need major plane checks and engine overhauls. The MRO center can assist airlines in this regard as “there are plenty of trained mechanics at Clark." The area is particularly suited for such a center because it is “flat and open," said Luciano. CIAC manages the Clark Aviation Complex sitting on 2,500 hectares which consists 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 ha., the DMIA complex alone occupies 800 ha., the Philippine Airforce 600 ha., with another 600 hectares still available for development, he said. - GMANews.TV