UPS PLANS INTRA-ASIA HUB IN THE PHILIPPINES

UPS PLANS INTRA-ASIA HUB IN THE PHILIPPINES    United Parcel Service, the express carrier and package delivery giant, said Thursday it has reached agreement to establish an intra-Asia hub in the Philippines.
   Atlanta-based UPS said it signed a joint letter of intent with the Philippine government, and also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bases Conversion Development Authority and the Clark Development Corp. to examine basing its hub at the former Clark United States Air Force Base in Pampanga.
   The base, now called Clark International Airport, was once the largest U.S. Air Force based outside of the United States, has been run by the Philippine government since U.S. forces vacated in 1992. The airport offers more than 267 acres, and includes a pair of two-mile-long runways, four parallel and nine connecting taxiways and a ramp that can accommodate large aircraft.
   “The Philippines' centralized location makes it possible for cargo aircraft to reach all major Asian cities in less than four hours,” said Ron Wallace, president, UPS International.
   Wallace also said the Philippine government offers an expansive flight policy which will allow UPS to efficiently operate the hub. “This policy allows UPS to better use its own aircraft by limiting ground and air traffic delays and refueling problems.”
   UPS began its Asia Pacific operation in 1988, when it acquired Hong Kong-based Asian Courier System, and appointed Delbros Inc. as its service agent in the Philippines.