Clark Airport keeps up with surge despite Boracay closure

Clark International Airport (CRK) proves its efficiency, as it manages to sustain the increase in passenger volume amid the suspension of flights to Kalibo and Caticlan due to the six-month closure of Boracay Island.

Alexander Cauguiran, Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and chief executive officer, said that there was a surge in the frequency of Clark’s Busuanga, Cebu, Davao, Puerto Princesa and other local flights after Boracay’s closure.

Nevertheless, Cauguiran expressed his confidence that CRK is capable of handling the increase in flights and passenger volume.

“Clark airport can handle the huge impact of Boracay’s closure,” Cauguiran said, adding that they have a “buffer that will sustain CRK’s increase in the number of weekly flights and passenger volume.”

The Department of Tourism (DOT) closed Boracay last April 26 due to the environmental rehabilitation that the island will undergo for the next six months. Affected flights to Caticlan and Kalibo have been replaced with other major local tourist destinations such as the world-famous Coron, El Nido, and Puerto Princesa in Palawan as well as Bohol, Cebu, and Davao.

According to Cauguiran, CRK typically serviced 324 weekly domestic flights prior to the closure of Boracay. However, after the island’s closure, CRK has been able to sustain 332 domestic flights per week with a daily average of 8,000 passengers.