Clark International Airport heavily damaged by quake
Credit to Author: Alexander Magno| Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2019 12:16:31 +0000
MANILA, Philippines — The Clark International Airport in Pampanga province, which serves as an alternative to Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, will be closed for 24 hours after suffering heavy damage in the wake of a powerful earthquake that rocked Luzon Monday afternoon.
Contributed photographs showed extensive damage in Clark Airport’s passenger departure area, which was strewn with debris alongside baggage-filled trolleys and a partially collapsed ceiling with exposed wiring.
There were no injuries or causalities reported at the airport, according to Goddes Oliveros-Libiran, spokesman for the Department of Transportation.
“Clark International Airport is closed for 24 hours due to damage in the terminal. Operation is temporarily suspended except for en route flights,” she said, citing Jim Melo, president of state-run Clark International Airport Corp.
READ: Clark International Airport shut down after quake
Clark Airport’s control tower also sustained a broken glass panel although the facility’s runway was not damaged by the quake, she added.
On Monday, Cebu Pacific announced the cancellation of six flights:
- 5J 120 Clark-Hong Kong
- 5J 121 Hong Kong-Clark
- 5J 370 Clark-Macau
- 5J 371 Macau-Clark
- 5J 608 Clark-Cebu
- 5J 609 Cebu-Clark
Clark Airport was a former United States air base before it was reverted back to the Philippine government in 1991.
The Duterte administration had placed renewed focus on Clark because of congestion issues in Metro Manila and its main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Last January, the government awarded a 25-year concession to operate and develop Clark Airport to a consortium led by conglomerates JG Summit Holdings and Filinvest Development Corp.
/atm