SMA prepares maiden flight to Taipei

Spirit of Manila unveils its new aircraft at Clark

By FRED ROXAS

August 18, 2009

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – Spirit of Manila Airlines unveiled last Friday its new MD-83 aircraft at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here.

Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose I. Luciano said that more Spirit of Manila airplanes, which include an MD-83, Boeing 747-300, and 747-400 will be arriving in September and November to complete the airline’s fleet in time for its operations in December, this year. The MD-83 aircraft arrived at DMIA last Aug. 1.

The aircraft is expected to fly to Taiwan and Macau and in the Middle East via Qatar, Dubai, Baharain, and Kuwait to serve the transport needs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), many of them coming from Central and Northern Luzon.

“This will benefit our OFWs working in the Middle East, most of whom are from the Central and Northern Luzon, and will also attract more tourists to visit our country using DMIA,” Luciano said.

Luciano led other officials who included Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Spirit of Manila Chairman Basilio Reyes, President and CEO Jimmy Matibag, and Vice President Rene Ocampo, and foreign partner Vice Chairman Hamad Altani in the unveiling event.

Spirit of Manila Airlines is the first large local carrier that will base its operations in Clark, and its airplanes will start flying out of DMIA very soon, he said.

Luciano said the MD-83 aircraft would be used for the Clark-Taiwan flights. “There wiil be no flight between Taiwan and Clark, and this is the right time that we will now have flights to Taiwan.”

“This is the first time, and even former President Fidel Ramos has been proposing Clark-Taiwan flights,” Luciano said.