A Philippine politic Manila Nino Aquino International to Angeles City Clark Internationalsaying that relocation would damage national tourism.
Manila’s Politiko News Site Reports National Unity Party Meber Luis Ray Villafuerte As Saying That The Manila Slot Coordination Committee (MSCC) Decision to Shift All Propeller Aircraft Flights To Clark By The End Of 2026 Could Mean Tourist Traffic Flows To Smaller Airports Decre Passengers Arriving at Manila Ninoy Aquino Airport Do Not Want To Make The 90-MINUTE DRIVE TO CLARK AIRPORT TO CATCH A REGIONAL CONNECTING FLIGHT.
Villafuerte said that the passengers who wanted to travel beyond Manila would choose airports served by reaction airplanes, which allowed them to connect in Nino Aquino. Airports with tracks not large enough to accommodate Jets would miss this traffic. In addition to stopping MSCC’s order, Villafuerte’s long -term solution is to accelerate airport infrastructure updates, allowing more national airports to handle reaction airplanes.
“We expect this MSCC decision about the gradual Transfer of all turbopropulor operations From Ninoy Aquino to Clark, it will be placed in the burner until the time the Department of Transportation can carry out the planned expansion for a long time NAGA and other secondary airfields throughout the country so that they can accommodate larger aircraft such as A320 instead of possible probopropulsors prohibited, ”said Villafuerte. “Airport updates should occur as soon as possible so that secondary airfields can have space for larger airplanes.”
Villafuerte represents the province of Camarines Sur in the Bicol region. The airport in NAGAThe largest city in the province, has only one track of 1,402 meters and is served by Bait (DG, Manila Nino Aquino International) operating 2x daily flights at72 to Manila Ninoy Aquino. But those flights will soon change Clark.
“This will seriously affect the tourism industry not only in South Camarines, but also for the entire Bicol, considering that our province is the largest winner of tourist income in the region,” adds Villafuerte. There are plans to update the Naga airport and extend its track, but the work has not yet begun.
Mike Szucs, the CEO of CEBU Pacific Air (5J, Manila Nino Aquino International), that Opera Cebgo, recently told Ch-Aviation that all its turbopropsators flights I would move to Clark At the end of October 2025, according to the mandate of the MSCC. Szucs said he would prefer not to transfer flights, but he agrees that the airport is doing the right thing given the infrastructure limitations. “They are trying to maximize the use of a restricted asset,” he said.
Szucs says that the transport department is working on track updates in smaller airports, a process that will take several years but is underway. Like Villafuerte, he sees the travel time between Ninoy Aquino and Clark as a problem, but says that it should only be an interim problem. As the tracks are progressively updated and can handle airplanes such as A320 and B737, Szucs plans to send airplanes to Ninoy Aquino instead of the ATR.
