PHILIPPINE AIRLINES on Wednesday launched its third domestic flight that will connect Clark International Airport (CRK) to Davao City.
PAL Airbus 321 PR831 with more than 170 passengers took-off from the Clark airport after simple send-off rites held at the Clark Passenger Domestic Terminal.
The Davao route comes at the heels of the January 30 Clark-Cebu flight launch, the international flights to Incheon in South Korea on January 1, and Clark-Caticlan last December 16, 2016, making Clark airport as PAL’s secondary hub for their North Luzon operations.
The Davao route flies every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
PAL President and CEO Jaime Bautista said the direct flights to Davao will allow passengers from Central and Northern Luzon to fly to Davao City without transiting Metro Manila.
“The history of PAL shows that wherever PAL flies, progress follows as what happened to Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo and other major cities in the country,” Bautista said, adding that preparations are underway for the launching of two additional domestic flights to Palawan on March 26 that includes Puerto Princesa and Busuanga.
Clark International Airport is included among several huge infrastructure development projects in what is billed by the Department of Transportation as the ‘golden age of infrastructure’ under the term of President Duterte.
Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has commended PAL for its newest flight route in Clark that will benefit passengers wishing to tour various destinations in Mindanao.
“I want to see the Subic-Clark corridor to be the best logistic and service center in Southeast Asia,” Arroyo said.
PAL said its direct Clark domestic flights especially to Cebu will connect passengers to various international destinations in Asia and North America.
With Arroyo were Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, Clark International Airport Corporation President Alexander Cauguiran, Clark Development Corporation President Noel Manankil and Tourism Regional Ronaldo Tiotuico.