DUBAI: News of Emirates airline’s flight to Clark Inter-national Airport in the northern Philippines has sent ripples of joy among Filipinos weary of congestion in Manila. The Dubai-based carrier announced on February 18 that daily flights between Dubai and Clark, a tourism and manufacturing enclave 112km north of Manila, will begin on October 1.
Clark will be the carrier’s second destination in the Philippines, in addition to three daily flights to Manila.
“This news is like the arrival of a healthy new baby in the family,” said Angel Timbol, a Dubai-based Filipino businessman who owns a resort in Tarlac, near the freeport zone, and a marine supply firm in Dubai. “Manila is really congested,” he said.
Filipinos who live in at least five provinces surrounding Clark, a former US airbase almost the size of Singapore, or tourists who want faster access to the northern Philippines will benefit from this new route.
Jiji Zablan, CEO of Great Minds Network in Dubai, a native of Pampanga province, said: “Perhaps I could fly home more often. The timing is great, because when you land in Clark at 4pm the sun is still up.”
Clark is undergoing a massive tourism and manufacturing push since it rose from the ashes of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption and the American forces’ departure.
“Emirates’ flight to Clark will bring me closer to my hometown,” said Milo Torres, a Dubai-based media professional from Bulacan.
In January Cebu Pacific, a Manila-based low-cost carrier, announced daily flights between Manila and Dubai from October 7. Philippine Airlines is also considering resuming direct flights to Dubai, sources told XPRESS.
