CIAC officials tour Singapore, Kuwait and Egypt airports
12 March 2008

Officials of the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) will be visiting the airports in Singapore, Kuwait and Egypt to study the facilities developed by proponents interested in developing the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in the Clark Freeport.
CIAC Chairman of the Board Nestor Mangio said he, Vice-Chairman Levy Laus and Executive Vice President Alexander Cauguiran recently visited the Chiangi Airport in Singapore and will be touring the Marsa Alam International Airport in Egypt and the Kuwait International Airport in a few days.
Mangio cited there has lately been interest from prospective investors to finance and build the DMIA and the logistics center as an offshoot of the recent declaration by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that the Clark airport will be the country’s premier international gateway.
He said President Arroyo has announced the interest of the Chiangi Airport in partnership with a big local company to build-operate-transfer (BOT) the DMIA.
“President Luciano and I met the proponents and they are now working on their proposal. Because we have to start work as soon as possible, the board had a study tour of the Chiangi Airport last Sunday,” Mangio said.
He said a few weeks ago, an interested airport builder from Kuwait in partnership with an American company signified interest to build-lease-transfer (BLT) the airport and the logistics center.
“The family of the Kuwait investor, Sheik Loay Jassim Al-Kharafi, is listed by Forbes as the 29th richest billionaire in the world. President Luciano and myself will inspect the airports in Egypt and Kuwait upon the invitation of the Al-Kharafi Group,” Mangio said.
The CIAC chairman also revealed that another Kuwaiti group is ready to sign a contract to develop 150 hectares of the 2,500-hectare airport complex into a logistics center.
“President Arroyo is well informed of all these interested investors. Our strategy is to get the best proponent for our airport and logistics center that will benefit most our government and at the same time deliver the project by 2010. We have also contingency plans for in-house sourcing of funds while the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) are willing to subsidize or loan to CIAC,” he said.
Mangio said all these activities, along with the ongoing expansion of the passenger terminals at the DMIA, are being conducted in preparation for the coming of more airlines and flights.
He said that in a Cabinet meeting with the President recently, the Cabinet agreed to give priority to Clark and Subic airports.
“The President is also ready to sign an executive order liberalizing the air policy for our airport. This means all airlines, even the non-designated or specified ones, can fly to the DMIA in our bilateral air agreements with other countries,” he said.
He said with all these developments, it is just a matter of time for the DMIA to be really busy.
He said all these are being undertaken to achieve CIAC’s mandate to be the most competitive logistics center in Asia and the Pacific and to be the premier airport of the country by 2010.
Mangio said we now have the opportunity to improve our lives, the lives of our province-mates and our countrymen.
“Let us not fail our children. Together, let us make a difference in their future and help alleviate poverty. CIAC and DMIA have taken off and we will soar higher with you on board the same plane,” he stressed. (CIAC-PAD)