New runway at Clark airport necessary to decongest NAIA

In the aftermath of the Xiamen Air incident that diverted dozens of flights to the Clark International Airport last month, a secondary parallel runway is necessary for the gateway in Pampanga.

Construction a new runway is the “quickest” solution for the congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Alexander Cauguiran, president of Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), said on Thursday.

A parallel runway would be an “immediate” solution to help Clark airport absorb the impact of emergency incidents at the country’s premier gateway, he said.

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Transportation conducted a public hearing on the runway incident that diverted a total 43 flights to Clark.

After the hearing, Cauguiran was quoted as saying, “Clark needs a new secondary parallel runway positioned to allow simultaneous take-offs and landings to easily decongest the overcrowded NAIA pending the construction of proposed airports either in Bulacan or in Cavite.”

“This (new runway) has been my longtime proposition, a quick answer to address runway congestion or closure in Manila especially in times of emergencies,” he said.

The new runway would “hugely” augment the ongoing construction of Clark airport’s Terminal 2 with an annual passenger capacity of 8 to 10 million.

Studies conducted by CIAC showed that the proposed runway would cost around P2.5 billion, including navigational aids and equipment. 

Cauguiran noted that Catanduanes Representative Cesar Sarmiento, who chairs the House transportation committee, “supported in principle” the proposed runway.

Xiamen Air Flight MF8667 skidded off NAIA’s Runway 06/24 before midnight on August 16, 2018. The runway was closed for 36 hours.

Xiamen Air flight MF8667 skidded off around 11 p.m. on August 16 supposedly due to rain.

The incident affected close to 200,000 passengers, according to CIAC. —Margaret Claire Layug/VDS, GMA News