The Philippines government is encouraging airlines to end turboprop operations at Manila Ninoy Aquino International, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. While carriers have received no firm instructions to exit, the government is reportedly advising them to start shifting turboprop flights to Angeles City Clark International, some 115 kilometres north.
Cebgo, a regional carrier owned by Cebu Pacific Air, operates scheduled turboprop flights to and from Ninoy Aquino International (NAIA) on behalf of Cebu Pacific. The ch-aviation schedules module reveals that AirSWIFT and Sunlight Air also have scheduled turboprop services to and from the airport, although Sunlight recently moved most of its Manila flights to Clark.
Plans by the incoming NAIA concessionaire, spearheaded by the San Miguel Corporation, to turn terminal four, used by most turboprop arrivals and departures, into a warehouse, is reportedly driving the push to move flights to Clark. A new terminal will be built but not before the transformation of the existing terminal.
"Cebu Pacific is aware that there have been consultations on the removal of turboprop operations in NAIA," Cebu Pacific President and CCO Alexander Lao told ch-aviation. "We need to see the final policy first before we can fully comment on the same, but we are hopeful general aviation is fully removed."
"The plan really is from the government," Philippine Airlines executive vice president Carlos Luis Fernandez told the Philippine Star. "We have been hearing some initiatives to transfer turboprops outside of Ninoy Aquino. We have been engaging with the government, and they understand that we cannot do it right away."
Transportation undersecretary Timothy John Batan told the newspaper that there was "no policy" to phase out turboprop operations at the airport. However, the government "encourages" transferring turboprop flights to Clark.
Existing turboprop flights link NAIA with Busuanga, Caticlan, Cebu, Daranga Bicol, Del Carmen (Siargao), El Nido, Masbate, Naga, Shimojishima, Surigao, and Tablas.
The privately owned Clark Airport was recently redeveloped, including a new passenger terminal that has lifted capacity to 12.2 million passengers annually. There are also plans to build a second runway. Seventeen airlines have scheduled operations at the airport, including the recently arrived Aero K, Air Busan, Sunlight Air, HK Express, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines.
