NAIA terminal fee hike gov’t mandated, ‘below-inflation’ value - operator

Metro Manila, Philippines - The adjusted rates in passenger service charge or terminal fees that will take effect at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in September was government mandated and is even “below-inflation-adjusted values,” the airport operator said amid calls to suspend the scheduled increase.

In a statement on Wednesday, Aug. 20, the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC) said the terminal fee hike is the first update in 20 years, adding that it is not the operator’s “arbitrary increase.”

By September, terminal fees at NAIA would cost P950 from P550 for international flights and P390 from P200 for domestic travels.

“It (the fee) was set by the government under MIAA Administrative order no. 1, series of 2024, and approved by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Cabinet. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) as adviser of the government also reviewed the rates,” the airport operator said.

Any winning bidder, NNIC added, would have implemented the same schedule.

NNIC took over NAIA’s operations and maintenance in September 2024 under a 25-year concession period.

A group of lawyers and law deans earlier asked the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the fee increase at NAIA, which they said “will affect 130,000 airline passengers daily or more than 50 million passengers per year.”

But NNIC clarified that overseas Filipino workers are exempt from paying charges for international travels, as mandated by existing regulations, contrary to claims that the sector will be affected by the hike.

“Also, the PSC applies only to departing passengers and only once per journey. Even after September 2025, the adjusted rates of P950 for international and P390 for domestic will remain below inflation-adjusted values of P1,300–P1,400 and P480–P520 respectively, had the fees kept pace since 2000,” NNIC said.

The airport operator said collections contribute to passenger service improvements.

Since the takeover, NNIC said it has renovated restrooms, improved air conditioning systems, and enhanced connectivity, among others.

“The PSC adjustment is a government-mandated, inflation-delayed update, necessary to sustain these improvements and deliver the larger modernization that passengers deserve,” it said.

NewsWatch Plus correspondent Lance Mejico contributed to this report.