Higher NAIA terminal fees start on September 14

MANILA, Philippines, September 12 ------ Airport fees in Manila are set to nearly double for domestic flights, raising concerns that Filipinos will stop or limit their travels for business and leisure.

For Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Eric Jose Ines, however, the looming increase in passenger service charges (PSC) will not harm travel demand. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is set to enforce higher PSC on Sept. 14, the first anniversary of the gateway’s turnover to private control.

Ines said since the higher PSC was announced as early as last year, he expects travelers to have factored in the rate hike in their spending plans. He also underscored that the PSC in NAIA has not been adjusted for more than 20 years.

NAIA operator New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) will increase the PSC to P390 and P950 for domestic and international departures, respectively. The current rates are P200 for local flights and P550 for overseas trips. For the year, NNIC projects passenger volume in NAIA to surpass the 53-million mark, based on estimates submitted to MIAA. When compared, NAIA facilitated the travel of a record 50.1 million passengers last year, as the airport benefited from the entry of more airlines and flights.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez also defended the PSC hike, saying it is part of the concession signed by the government with NNIC covering the P170.6-billion redevelopment of NAIA. However, Lopez recognized that the matter was elevated to the Supreme Court, where a petition was filed to cancel the concession with NNIC. As a lawyer, Lopez said he sees no legal flaw in the NAIA deal but is leaving it to the justices to decide on the case.

In spite of this, the petitioners questioning the concession believe airport charges should only be jacked up once developments are finished and visible. For them, NAIA remains one of the worst airports globally, lagging behind its peers in Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. “[At] the NAIA, the passengers are being made to fund the capital and operating requirements of its private operator with nothing to show in terms of physical infrastructure,” the petitioners said.

Consumer groups like SUKI Network said NNIC can still make profit without hiking the PSC, as former operator MIAA managed to book a net income of P7.64 billion in 2024.

Source: philstar.com