Punctuality does pay. In the work place or in terms of providing services to the public. Be it a private company or corporation or, and especially, government agencies, from which a generous amount of public service, promptness and propriety is expected.
Government corporations must strive to achieve this timely and immediate delivery of service to the people who are, after all, their customers.
And this has been one of the feats that the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) has hoped to achieve since its inception and operation 24 years ago.
And achieve this CIAC has!
The Clark International Airport (CRK) has been given an impressive two-star rating for On-Time Performance (OTP) by the Official Aviation Guide, or OAG, that recently revealed the On-Time Performance Star Ratings for the world’s airlines and airports.
The Clark International Airport, that appears as “Angeles/Mabalacat” on the OAG website, was given an Annual OTP rating of 71.3, besting it’s domestic counterparts Iloilo (68.9); Bacolod (67.9); Cebu (65.7); and, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila (63.9), which all received one-star ratings.
If you think this is impressive, let us now take a look at the international scene that shows a more telling story.
Among the airports that CRK bested in the two-star category were the Dubai International Airport with a rating of 71; Brussels Airport (70.9); and the Glasgow International Airport (70.3) the United Kingdom.
The Clark International Airport also bested the Incheon International Airport in South Korea that was given a rating of 67.1 as well as the Gatwick or London Airport (65.4) in the United Kingdom that were given one-star ratings.
These particular Airport and Airline Star Ratings were measured in the period June 2017 to May 2018.
On-time performance rating for airports is measured by the number of departures and arrivals that take place in less than 15 minutes after scheduled departure/arrival times, including cancellations.
The On-Time Performance Star Rating is a global accreditation program of OAG that recognizes excellent flight punctuality performance across all airports and airlines regardless of size, geographic location, or aviation peer group.
Based in the United Kingdom, OAG is the top provider of air travel data and analytics which provides accurate, timely, and actionable digital flight information and applications to airlines, airports, government agencies, and other travel-related service companies across the globe. OAG is best known for its airline schedules database which holds future and historical flight details for more than 900 airlines and over 4,000 airports.
CIAC President and CEO Jaime Alberto Melo pointed out that the Clark airport was the only airport in the Philippines to be given a two-star rating, an accomplishment which he stressed “is a testament to Clark’s competency in providing exceptional air services to its passengers.”
Melo explained that to achieve an OTP star rating, airlines and airports must have a minimum of 600 operations per month with OAG being able to process flight status information for no less than 80 percent of scheduled flights in a 12-month period.
Melo said the recognition is indeed a welcome development as the CIAC celebrates its 24th anniversary this month.
Congratulations to the men and women of CIAC on this achievement!
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Twenty-four years ago, the idea to operate an international airport at the then Clark Special Economic Zone was conceived and broached to government officials. At that time, the country was led by former President Fidel Ramos. The first group of employees were brought in and the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) was established.
Now, on the occasion of its 24th anniversary on February 7, the idea has grown and continues to grow, just like the flight operations and the number of passengers at the Clark International Airport.
The Clark airport now serves an average of around 11,500 passengers daily and registers a weekly average of 714 combined domestic and international flights.
There are now 13 airlines operating flights to and from various international destinations at the Clark airport that include flights to Busan, Daegu and Incheon in South Korea via Jinair, T’Way and Asiana Airlines, respectively; Doha, Qatar via Qatar Airways; Dubai in the United Arab Emirates via Emirates; Hong Kong via Cathay Dragon and Cebu Pacific; Incheon, South Korea also via Jeju Air, Jinair, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and just recently, Philippines AirAsia; Japan via JetStar; Macau via Cebu Pacific; Pudong, China via China Eastern; Singapore via Cebu Pacific, JetStar or Scoot; and Taipei via Philippines AirAsia.
It has always been said that developing an airport takes about 20 years. The Clark International Airport has reached that mark and has developed over the years, despite some adversities. And it still continues to grow, with the development of the Terminal 2 project. Plans show the further expansion of this terminal as well as the development of more facilities with a second runway or even a third runway.
Happy anniversary, CIAC!
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Congratulations are in order for our friends in the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), CIAC’s mother unit, and the NLEX Corporation for bagging awards at the 54th Anvil Awards presented by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.
The Anvil is the symbol of excellence in Public Relations and is awarded to outstanding public relations programs, tools and, now, practitioners after careful screening by select PR professionals and judging by a distinguished multi-sectoral jury.
BCDA received an Anvil for the PR Program on the Build Build Build Jobs Caravan. BCDA Public Affairs Department Manager Lani Barlongay-Macasaet said they share the award with the Build Build Build Team.
The NLEX Corporation, meanwhile, bagged two Anvils: a Gold Anvil Award for their New NLEXpress for successfully delivering their messages on smart and safe driving and strengthening their linkage with customers; and a Silver Anvil Award for their NLEX-SCTEX Basketboys Basketball Clinics and Tournament for creating a program that promotes wellness and skills enhancement while teaching road safety practices and ensuring the safety of motorists plying the NLEX-SCTEX.
Kudos to you and your teams!