INAEC Aviation FBO hangar in the Philippines. INAEC president Benjamin Lopez heads the Philippine chapter of AsBAA, the Asian Business Aviation Association.
The Philippine government is targeting business aviation as a potential driver of growth for the economy, especially in and around Clark and Subic Bay.
Clark International Airport and Subic Bay International Airport, which are former U.S. military bases, continue to be underutilized, while Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport suffers from slot constraints and congestion.
Manila Airport, which is primarily a commercial airport, currently has capacity for 42 aircraft movements per hour, of which only two are allocated for general aviation and business aviation, says Benjamin Lopez, head of the Philippine chapter of the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA). He is also president of INAEC Aviation, a fixed-based operation (FBO) in the Philippines that also operates and manages aircraft.
Lopez says there is also a curfew from 12:00 to 19:00 where no general aviation or business aviation aircraft are permitted to take off or land at Manila Airport.
Because of these restrictions at Manila Airport, INAEC Aviation went ahead and established a facility at Clark two years ago to serve business aviation operators. Those arriving at Clark on a business jet can then take a helicopter shuttle service operated by INAEC Aviation that will transport them to downtown Manila.
Lopez says the helipads at Manila Peninsula and Rockwell Centre Makati are certified by the Philippine civil aviation regulator. The helicopter ride from Clark to helipads in downtown Manila takes 30 min.
He says the Philippine government is encouraging the business aviation sector to make use of Clark and Subic Bay as an alternative to Manila Airport.
Lopez says the authorities have a master plan for development of Clark International Airport, which includes constructing a purpose-built FBO facility there.
He says a trade delegation from the business aviation community, organized by AsBAA, visited Clark in late January and the feedback from industry was that a purpose-built FBO is needed but needs to be bigger than what is planned so far.
Lopez also says the Philippines has potential as a center for business aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul.
“There [are] a lot of Filipinos working in the MRO industry around the Asia region,” he says. “There’s a deep labor pool, people with the skills and who can speak English.”
Last year, Hong Kong business jet company MetroJet established a business aviation MRO facility at Clark.