Clark International Airport in Pampanga has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious international award Prix Versailles, which recognizes the best architecture and design projects in the world, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced.
According to the DOTr, the entrants in this year's Prix Versailles World Finale include six airports, six university campuses, six passenger stations, and six sports facilities from hundreds of projects completed in 2020.
Under the Prix Versailles Airports 2021 category, the Clark International Airport will be competing against other airports in the world such as the Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt in Germany; Athens International Airport in Greece; Hazrat Sultan International Airport in Kazakhstan; New Plymouth Airport in New Zealand, and LaGuardia Airport - Terminal B in New York, United States.
According to the French-based organization, the World Selections pay tribute to the "qualities of innovation, creativity, a reflection of local, natural, and cultural heritage, and ecological efficiency, as well as the values of social interaction and participation which the United Nations holds in high regard."
Winners for the global prize will be announced in late November or early December this year.
Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade welcomed the latest recognition of a Philippine airport, saying that simply being nominated by a prestigious award-giving body "is already a great honor and pride".
"To regard the Clark International Airport worthy of world recognition is already a huge encouragement for us to keep going and a reassurance that we are on the right track," Tugade said in a statement on Thursday, Aug. 19.
The airport’s newly completed second Passenger Terminal Building (PTB), which is a joint project of the DOTr and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), will be fully operational by September this year. It has a design capacity of eight million passengers per annum.
The new PTB has two components--the construction of the horizontal infrastructure which includes the new apron, extension of taxiways, construction of apron and taxiway shoulders; and the construction of the vertical infrastructure such as the shell of the terminal building, secondary access road, parking facilities, and transport terminal hub.
The shell of the terminal building, as well as other landside developments, have been completed in September 2020.
Meanwhile, the fit-out interior requirement of the new terminal is being undertaken and funded by private concessionaire Luzon International Premier Airport Development (LIPAD) Corporation, in line with the O&M contract for the Clark Civil Aviation Complex.
Complementing its world-class architectural design is the terminal's use of new technologies that support a seamless travel experience for passengers. These, authorities said, will cement the airport's position as "Asia's next premier gateway".