Clark airport traffic rises 14% to 2.75 million

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January 25, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Clark International Airport has made a significant leap in returning to pre-pandemic volume as it grew its passenger traffic by 14 percent last year on the addition of new flights.

Based on data from airport operator Luzon International Premiere Airport Development (LIPAD) Corp., the gateway’s passenger volume rose to 2.75 million in 2025 from 2.4 million in 2024.

Although this fell short of LIPAD’s three million target, it still brought Clark closer to its 2019 level of four million, and the operator is confident the airport will sustain its growth.

LIPAD president and CEO Noel Manankil said the airport gained largely from the partial transfer of turboprop services from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The slot regulator in NAIA ordered airlines to relocate turboprop flights from NAIA to secondary airports like Clark.

“The increase in passenger traffic and improving load factors were supported by stronger airline partnerships, (as) this was also aided by the gradual transfer of turboprop operations from Metro Manila and Clark’s role as a reliable alternative gateway outside the capital,” Manankil said.

By March 29, all turboprops in NAIA will pack up. Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific, for one, announced that it is relocating them to Clark, giving the airport more flights to attract passengers.

Turboprops are capable of reaching airports with shorter or unpaved runways, most of which are in island destinations like Busuanga and Siargao. However, they are being pushed out of NAIA to dedicate its runway solely for jetliners that carry more passengers per trip.

By segment, LIPAD said Clark’s domestic passenger traffic jumped by 23 percent to 1.04 million in 2025. International passenger movement also increased by 10 percent to 1.71 million, lifted by the expansion of overseas flights by both Philippine and foreign carriers.

To date, Clark is capable of offering 3.77 million seats yearly, and this will further go up once all turboprop flights have exited NAIA.

Still, Clark is far from reaching its full potential of handling as many as eight million passengers per annum, although this will require ease of connectivity mainly by railways.