NAIA terminal fees increase after 20 years

Terminal fees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) increased after 20 years effective Sept. 14.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) earlier enabled the terminal fee hike despite calls from several groups to delay implementation.

Under the agency’s Revised Administrative Order No. 1, which allowed for the fees to increase beginning the second year of the concession deal with San Miguel-led New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), international passengers now pay P950 for terminal fees, from P550. Domestic travelers now pay P390, from P200.

While NNIC has been facing criticisms, with concerns that passengers would shoulder the burden of the airport modernization, it maintained that NAIA terminal rates remain cheaper than those in neighboring countries.

According to the group, 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.

“With the increase, NAIA’s fees will simply match other Philippine airports, while still staying among the most affordable in Asia,” it said.

“These rates were set by the government, with the Asian Development Bank as adviser, as part of the public-private partnership concession agreement for NAIA’s modernization,” the group added.

It also noted that international terminal fees will remain free for overseas Filipino workers.

NNIC likewise highlighted that as of August 15, its remittances to the government had already reached P48.3 billion.

Its capital spending for the year, meanwhile, is pegged at P13 billion.

NAIA’s private operator is a consortium that includes San Miguel Corp. and Incheon International Airport. The group started managing NAIA operations in September 2024. It has committed to spending more than P170 billion to rehabilitate and modernize the main air gateway.