No approval yet for proposed air terminal enhancement fees

THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said a proposal to collect airport terminal enhancement fee by the three air carriers remains under review.

“The proposal is still being reviewed by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). Pending thorough evaluation, no terminal enhancement fees have been approved or implemented,” a representative from the DoTr said via Viber.

The main Philippine carriers sought CAB approval to collect terminal enhancement fees to cover the rising cost of using Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The private operator, New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), has raised landing and takeoff fees, and started charging other fees starting last year.

The carriers have requested a P150 terminal enhancement fee for domestic roundtrip flights and about P300 each way for international flights.

The fee was proposed as a separate charge on top of the base fare. As proposed, it will be itemized on the passenger’s booking receipt separately from the base fare, similar to the treatment of the fuel surcharge and value-added tax.

NNIC took over the operations and maintenance of the main gateway in September 2024.

A higher passenger service charge, or terminal fee, is also scheduled to be implemented later this year in September.

NNIC has said that all fee increases are in accordance with the parameters and financial terms set by the DoTr, the Manila International Airport Authority, and its project transaction advisor, the Asian Development Bank during the NAIA privatization bidding. — Ashley Erika O. Jose