No stopping hike in Naia terminal fees starting Sept. 14

FILE PHOTO: Few passengers are seen at the departure area of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City. —RICHARD A. REYES

Travelers will pay higher terminal fees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) starting Sept. 14, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) confirmed to the Inquirer on Monday, despite mounting calls from several groups to postpone its implementation.

Under MIAA’s Revised Administrative Order No. 1, which mandates a hike in charges starting on the second year of its concession deal with San Miguel-led New Naia Infra Corp. (NNIC), departing international passengers will each pay P950 for terminal fees, up from P550. For domestic travelers, they each have to shell out P390, compared to the previous P200.

The NNIC defended the hike, saying it is the first update in more than two decades. The private Naia operator is a consortium that includes SMC and Incheon International Airport. The group started managing Naia operations in September 2024.

Not arbitrary

As the private operator became at the receiving end of recent statements and petitions condemning the higher fees at the country’s main gateway, the group clarified that it was “not an arbitrary increase by NNIC.”

“Any winning bidder … would have implemented the same schedule,” it said in an earlier statement.

“The [passenger service charge] adjustment is a government-mandated, inflation-delayed update, necessary to sustain these improvements and deliver the larger modernization that passengers deserve. Naia is the country’s busiest and most complex airport, and we remain committed to ensuring it continues to operate safely, efficiently, and affordably for the Filipino public,” NNIC said.

It added that overseas Filipino workers are fully exempt from the fee, as the consortium showed data that the new rates were cheaper compared to those of regional peers.

Relatively lower

According to NNIC, airports in Haneda in Japan, Bangkok in Thailand, Hanoi in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in Cambodia and Changi in Singapore charge higher terminal fees, which range from P1,136 to P2,683 per passenger, compared to Naia’s P950.

SMC chair Ramon Ang earlier defended the impending hikes at Naia, saying this would lead to better services at the country’s main gateway, which has been tagged as the worst airport in the world.

A flyer, who asked not to be named, told the Inquirer she does not mind paying more in terminal fees for the improvement of services.

But another frequent air traveler said she did not see any improvement since the NNIC takeover of Naia.

“I recently had a business trip abroad, and it was disappointing to see how just far behind our airport is compared to others … the overall experience remains the same,” one other passenger said.

Some groups earlier filed a petition before the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the fee hikes. A group of lawyers has also asked the high tribunal to temporarily halt the increases, as their petition challenging the legality of the MIAA order and the NNIC concession deal remains pending.