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CLARK FREEPORT, Philippines -- The Hong Kong Express’ Boeing 737-800 has started its regular flights to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.
Its inaugural flight to the 2,500-hectare aviation complex touched down at 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, carrying 50 Chinese tourists.
The thrice-weekly flights to Clark (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays), slated to run for three months, will bring in tourists from the former British colony and benefit overseas Filipino workers who come mostly from Northern and Central Luzon, according to William Po, HK Express country manager.
Roundtrip fare costs $100, according to the promotions office of the Clark International Airport Corp., the state firm that oversees the development of the DMIA.
Victor Jose Luciano, CIAC president and chief executive officer, called the entry of HK Express as a "remarkable development" for it decided to do operations here at a time when the Arroyo administration has gone full-blast in efforts to make the DMIA the country’s premier international gateway.
Luciano said HK Express should be able to fly daily to Clark in the next weeks in anticipation of higher demand for flights.
CIAC has made the Clark and Subic freeports as among the investment and tourist attractions in Northern and Central Luzon.
Established in 2005, HK Express now flies in at least 56 destinations, including China, Japan and Thailand.
HK Express is a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Airlines that flew to Clark until 2007.
"Hong Kong flights are back in Clark, and we hope that we could increase our flights in the coming months," Po said.
In the program, Luciano thanked the Maxon Asia Telecom Corp. for helping draw in to the DMIA the HK Express.
The volume of international and local passengers at the DMIA reached 533,619 in 2007, a slight increase from 488,867 passengers in 2006.
