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DMIA prepares for more flight diversion

Administrator — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:07:12 +0000

Transportation and Communication Secretary Jose De Jesus has ordered Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose Luciano to prepare to accommodate more diversion of international and domestic flights at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).

The order came after the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) encountered navigational problems which forced flights to divert to DMIA.

NAIA recently suffered setbacks due to the aging navigational equipment and runway visibility problems due to the worsening of pollutions in Metro Manila that prompted airport officials to divert international and domestic flights at DMIA in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

De Jesus told Luciano that DMIA must be ready anytime to accommodate more air carriers that would be diverted to Clark and prepare the needs of the passengers such as hotel accommodations and transportation service to Manila .

Luciano said that DMIA is ready anytime and well prepared to accommodate the influx of diversion of flights, adding that the aircrafts are safe to land in the area.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) issued Memorandum Circular No. 62 enjoining all air carriers operating scheduled services in the Philippines to ensure the comfort and convenience of passengers during long delays through the provision of adequate food, water and personal necessities.

CAB Executive Director Carmelo Arcilla said the circular is based on the general obligation of air carriers, as public policies, pending the formulation, finalization and adoption of a more specific and comprehensive set of rules that shall deal with the matter, in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Code.

Luciano said that DOTC will require airlines to give food and water to passengers during long delays.

The air carriers would be required to submit a Contingency Plan for long tarmac delays for its scheduled flights.

“DMIA is very much capable to handle diverted flights,” Luciano said as he assured the safety of the passengers.

De Jesus recently led an inter-agency meeting composed of representatives of NAIA, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Civil Aviation Board (CAB), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and CIAC headed by Luciano where they discussed the adoption of the CAB Policy to formulate Rules and Procedures dealing with airline passenger protection during long tarmac delays.

The CAB Policy was patterned before the United States to make safer regulations for air carriers during times of disaster and emergency.

These sets the conduct of regular consultation meetings with stakeholders, consumer groups, the CAAP, airport authorities, the DTI and other interested parties that shall culminate in a public hearing geared towards the finalization and adoption of such Rules and Procedures in compliance with the requirements of the Administrative code.

Arcilla said a Preliminary Conference is slated on July 27, 2010 at the CAB Board Room to discuss the Rules and Procedures on the Protection of Airlines Passengers During Long Tarmac Delays.

The CIAC management had already met with various ground handlers at DMIA for them to ready their equipment and services anytime to accommodate the needs of air carriers including passengers that would be diverted at DMIA. Rendy Isip

The Clark Airport–the only hope

Administrator — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:23:56 +0000

Whenever I travel internationally, I decide to closely observe the airports of those countries in comparison with the Manila International Airport. When I fly in an international airline, I got to depart from Terminal 1. The experience was humbling and I am certain that any Filipino who has flown in some countries would agree with me that the Philippine Terminal 1, which all international carriers use, is a shame to the country. This is the only terminal I have seen to have a reused plastic container serving as the rainwater control device in the middle of the departure lounge covered by dirty and stained carpet. The dirt and the disrepair for an international passenger terminal is unacceptable.
While Terminal 2 and 3 claim to be later additions to the supposed gateway to the Philippines, they do not as well do justice to the vision of a more progressive Philippines. Terminal 2 does not provide the services that modern travelers now require for an airport. It does not even have a decent restaurant that hungry travelers could go to. Terminal 3 (aside from the fact that you will always be afraid of failing ceilings) is still in the state of terminal controversies.
The need, therefore, for a modern airport comparable to our neighboring countries and suited to the needs of the passengers is a no-brainer. And as it is next to impossible to expand the NAIA, our next best alternative (if not the only alternative) is the Clark International Airport, better known as the DMIA. There are a myriad of factors that would favor this option, such as the space availability for expansion to four runways, the proximity to Manila which is just one hour away with a smooth NLEX, the completion of the SCTEx connecting Clark to both Subic and Tarlac and to the North Luzon region, the completion of the Subic Seaport and the rapid development of Central and North Luzon as new growth areas for the Philippines.
If we accept the statement that the airport is the window to the country’s soul, the Clark International Airport, hence, is our only option for salvation and redemption from uncompetitiveness in the region.
It is quite disappointing, though, that the bidding for the construction of the Terminal 2 of DMIA failed. I have been a witness to the sacrifices of CIAC personnel in working long hours to make the bidding work. It was disheartening to see their sacrifices go for naught. For some reasons, it failed and that is a hard reality for the Philippines that is so much in need of that public infrastructure.
While we could all grind our teeth for such a setback, every Filipino should rally to the realization of this need. And while we hunger for an international airport, we must make it a sense of citizenship, a moral duty, that the next airport that we will have should be a source of national pride and not of collective shame such as the Terminal 3.
The realization of our aspirations for a globally competitive Philippines is embodied in the success of the completion of the DMIA as the premier gateway to the Philippines. It is not only a public infrastructure. It is a structure that would show who we are as Filipinos to the world. It is, therefore, our duty as patriotic citizens to make it happen. There is no other choice—a choice that we could very well make.

Busy bodies

Administrator — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:19:41 +0000

Build and they will come.
From merely nothing flying out of the Clark international airport after the cataclysmic eruptions of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, the succeeding secondary explosions that emitted fine volcanic ashes and the dreaded lahar flows—the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport has metamorphosed into one of the busiest airports in the Asian region. Back then, we only had migratory birds visiting the two 3.2-km parallel runways, a contrast when the US military might is felt by the presence of the F4 phantoms lined up in front of the DMIA tower.
One man dared to dream and brought in the first international flights in the desolate Clark airport—Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano, then posted as EVP of the Clark Development Corp. Thus in October 2003, the first flight of Asiana arrived at the airport and the rest is history.
At the helm of CIAC, Luciano had been relentlessly pursuing important projects for DMIA that will make it the premier international gateway and a vibrant logistics and services hub. No wonder that for four days last week starting November 6, Luciano along with EVP/COO Alexander S. Cauguiran, VP for Finance Romeo Dyoco and VP for Operations and Business Development Bienvenido Manga had been busy attending to groundbreakings and inaugural flights.
On November 6, CIAC broke ground with SIA Engineering Company, in partnership with Cebu Pacific Air for the establishment of a $100-million Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility. Luciano, SIA Engineering Company headed by President and CEO William Tan and Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei led the groundbreaking rites as well as the time capsule-laying for the multimillion-dollar facility, which was also attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The MRO Facility at the Changi Airport in Singapore is already congested and thus the establishment of the MRO facility in Clark is expected to further improve services at DMIA and make it more viable as the next premier gateway of the Philippines. “The MRO fulfills the vision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to make Clark a leading world-class service hub in the Asia Pacific-Region,” said Luciano.
“We have always been impressed with the Filipino people. We are excited about Clark,” said SIA Engineering’s Tan.
“A world-class MRO facility at Clark will further enhance aerospace into the Philippines. With SIA Engineering Company’s MRO proficiency, we will certainly develop the local talent pool of aerospace management and engineering personnel. In addition, a heavy maintenance facility in the Philippines will significantly enhance Cebu Pacific Air’s dispatch reliability and engineering quality,” said Gokongwei.
On November 7, another groundbreaking was held for the establishment of the P1-billion aircraft hangar facility of new kid on the block Spirit of Manila. The hangar is capable of handling the Boeing 747-800, Airbus A-320 and the Airbus 380. Spirit of Manila will mount flights to Taipei and Macau and had been also planning to fly to the Middle East to serve OFWs.
On November 8 and 9, Cebu Pacific Air launched its flights to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Macau. Residents of Central and Northern Luzon have welcomed the flights, particularly the “Go Lite Fares” offered by Cebu Pacific, allowing families to visit their kin who are working in Asian countries more often.