Friday, September 10, 2021

INCLUSIVE Facilities in Soon-to-Open CLARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT New Passenger TERMINAL

 


One of the many facilities opened by the Philippines from the former infrastructure of the American Clark Air Base was an international airport. Originally serving domestic and international flights to and from northern and Central Luzon, it was proposed to also begin serving Metro Manila following the full expansion and congestion of NAIA. To that end, several passenger terminals were planned with all to be completed by 2025. The first of these, constructed by a public-private partnership under the Duterte “Build, Build, Build” program, was completed last year and should begin operating at the end of the year. This particular terminal features several notable facility innovations new to the country.

The Manila Bulletin reports that the soon-to-open new terminal at Clark International Airport (IATA airport code CRK) has inclusive amenities serving all faiths and even gender identities. This comes in the form of gender-neutral bathrooms (indicated by half-male, half-female logos), all-gender nursing stations, and multi-faith prayer rooms. A statement from Vince Dizon, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President and CEO, notes that CRK aims to present a positive atmosphere to passengers and guests, in the form of accommodation with inclusion and respect to all.

Gender-neutral bathrooms will be added to the default male and female rooms for the benefit of transgender individuals and those who identify as non-binary or cis-gender. The nursing stations and prayer rooms will also provide foot-washing facilities for Muslims. This new terminal will also push for CRK’s direction of the “silent airport policy,” wherein audio boarding calls are minimalized in favor of posted visual-display announcements. The Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp. (LIPAD), which manages and operates CRK, holds to these two principles of inclusivity and intuitiveness to guide them in shaping the future facilities at the airport, such as the other planned passenger terminals.

Operation of Clark International Airport was given over to LIPAD, a consortium formed by JG Summit Holdings, Filinvest Development, Philippine Airport Ground Solutions, and Changi Airports Philippines Pte back in August of 2019. Their concession to run CRK runs for 25 years. The interior of the new terminal was designed by American architectural firm Populous with some help from Casas+Architects. It has not been specified yet when in late 2021 the new Clark International Airport terminal will open to passengers.

Image from CRK Official Website

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