Despite the volatile global energy market spawned by the US-Iran war, Clark International Airport (CRK) reported a significant spike in passenger traffic in the recent Holy Week travel.
Airport officials have confirmed that while jet fuel prices have climbed, the demand for holiday travel remained a powerful driver for the terminal’s operations.
Dante Basanta, operations head of the Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation, said that the Holy Week travel brought an uptrend in traveler volume compared to the previous weeks. Besanta was guest in the special media forum of Pampanga Press Club at Plaza Premier Lounge inside CRK. LIPAD is the government partner and concessionair that was granted to operate and manage said airport.
He said that for the said holiday period domestic departures increased by 20% while domestic areivals increased by 10%. On the other hand, international flights Increased by 5%.
Basanta noted that this growth persisted even as the conflict, which started in late February, pushed global oil and gas prices upward, subsequently increasing airline fuel surcharges. He noted that some passengers have deferred trips and tours due to rising costs of air and land travel.
LIPAD, while concerned with the number of local and international flights, have also kept on its commitment to continue to improve on passenger travel experience.
LIPAD Commercial Head Paolo Santos expressed optimism that food and beverage outlets at the mezzanine of CRK would continue to attract customers under the so-called open terminal concept where non-travellers and non-ticketed visitors can dine. He said that more retail and dining outlets are set to open this quarter to enhance the terminal experience.
Aujean Santos, operations manager of the Plaza Premier Lounge, said that they have also ramped up food and beverage offerings at reasonable prices. The lounge, aside from partnerships with airlines and credit cards, is also open to walk-ins.
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This strong showing of holiday travel follows the conferment of prestigious recognition from the Airports Council International (ACI), which recently named Clark the “Best Airport at Arrivals Globally” and granted it Level Two Customer Experience Accreditation.
Currently, CRK can handle 4 million passengers annually, with long-term plans to scale up to 12 million.
The post CRK keeps strong showing vs. rising fuel costs with Holy Week surge first appeared on Pampanga News Now.