A formal request for fee relief at Ninoy Aquino International Airport is now before the Department of Transportation, as airline groups push back against mounting operational costs driven by surging jet fuel prices.
The Airline Operators Council, the Board of Airline Representatives, and other stakeholders are set to sit down with the Manila International Airport Authority and the DOTr on March 24 to thresh out the issue — a meeting that will carry added weight given the Civil Aeronautics Board’s recent decision to raise the fuel surcharge to Level 8, a move MIAA has already flagged as a likely trigger for higher airfares this April.
MIAA General Manager Eric Ines confirmed the airlines’ petition, which covers a range of operational relief measures including a general reduction of airport charges and the lifting or extension of the three-hour parking cap. Some carriers have also requested waivers for aircraft grounded as a result of the Middle East conflict.
Ines said the agency intends to consolidate all airline concerns before bringing them to the DOTr, but he was direct about the limits of what MIAA can do unilaterally.
“We cannot just change it; we cannot immediately reduce the rate because it is in the concession agreement and governed by law, specifically Administrative Order No. 1,” Ines said. “If the President, and the Cabinet agrees, it can be then replaced by a new regulation.”
Any adjustment to airport fees would need to clear the MIAA board, the DOTr, and the Cabinet before taking effect — a process that rules out any quick turnaround regardless of how urgent the airlines consider the situation.
Ticket price increases, if they materialize, would vary based on route distance and where global oil prices settle in the weeks ahead.
