Airport fees, charges reduced

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March 25, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Starting April 1, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will reduce aeronautical and terminal fees in all airports under CAAP management to help mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices.

Excluded are the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Cebu-Mactan International Airport, Cagayan de Oro International Airport, Clark International Airport and Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which are all under public-private partnership, not CAAP.

Under the modified rates, aeronautical fees, including landing and takeoff, will be decreased to nearly 50 percent overall, or as high as approximately P5,000 per landing.

Meanwhile, the Passenger Service Charge or terminal fee for international travel will be reduced from P900 to P700. For domestic travel at international airports, the fee will be lowered from P350 to a range of P150 to P200.

For Principal Class 1 airports, fees will be reduced from P300 to P150-P200, while Principal Class 2 airports will see a decrease from P200 to P100. Community airport charges will likewise be lowered from P100 to P50.

Terminal fees are paid by travelers, while aeronautical fees are shouldered by airlines.

This follows the directive of President Marcos and Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez to implement measures that will help ease the burden on both passengers and the aviation industry amid escalating oil costs.

“We will ensure that all transport groups, including operators, drivers, commuters, can count on the government to help. They can rest assured that we will make various initiatives to alleviate the effects of the conflict in the Middle East,” Lopez said at a press conference yesterday.

Lopez said the fee reductions will be effective for three months and may be extended, subject to review.

Landing fee discount sought

Foreign airlines operating at NAIA are asking the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for a discount on fees for landing and take-off, which three local carriers are currently enjoying.

MIAA general manager Eric Ines said local carriers, through the airline association led by Philippine Airlines, sought a 65 percent reduction in landing and take-off fees, which the government granted 15 years ago; Cebu Pacific and AirAsia also received the same discount later on.

The MIAA said their hands are currently tied because they have to ask permission first from the New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation (NNIC), then endorse it to DOTr for approval of the President and the Cabinet.

Local and foreign airlines are also requesting a relaxation on the three-hour aircraft parking limit as well as a reduction of fees for aircraft that will remain stranded at NAIA due to on-going tensions in the Middle East, Ines said.

Planes may be grounded

Meanwhile, President Marcos yesterday described as a “distinct possibility” the grounding of planes as a number of airlines announced plans to reduce flights due to higher jet fuel prices.

Speaking to Bloomberg News, Marcos noted that with the crude supply limitations, the refining of jet fuel takes a longer time and the Philippines – a country heavily reliant on imported crude – has to depend on what is readily available.

“When our airlines fly out, several countries have already told our airlines they cannot fuel their aircraft, so they have to carry fuel there and back. Long-haul is going to be a much more serious problem,” the President said.

Asked if inevitably, planes would have to be grounded, Marcos replied: “We’re hoping not, but it’s a distinct possibility.”

Some airlines in the region, including Philippine budget carrier Cebu Pacific, have decided to cut or suspend flights to lessen the consumption of fuel, whose prices have more than doubled compared with their averages last year.

The energy department has clarified that the flight reductions were caused by higher jet fuel prices, not by a lack of supply.

Philippines-China reset?

In the same interview, Marcos raised the possibility that the US and Israeli war against Iran could provide an impetus for the Philippines and China to reach a deal in developing gas resources in disputed areas in the South China Sea.

“That’s something we’ve been talking about a great deal, but territorial disputes are getting in the way of that. Maybe this provides impetus for both sides to come to an agreement. That’s something we are exploring. Everything that might be of help we are certainly pursuing,” Marcos said. — Alexis Romero, Josiah Antonio