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January 31, 2026 | 5:15pm
Stock photo of individuals waiting for their flight.
Unsplash / Filipe C. Sousa
MANILA, Philippines — Government agencies are looking to lower the cost of domestic travel after many Filipinos criticized that traveling locally is often more expensive than flying to another country.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr), together with the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), explained in a statement the many factors driving up the prices for local airline tickets. Some of these include airplane size, the number of passengers and the length of runways.
"Alinsunod sa direktiba ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at ang Acting DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez, isinasakatuparan na nag iba't ibang pamamaraan upang mapababa ang presyo ng airline tickets sa mga local destinasyon," they said on Friday, January 30.
(In accordance with the directives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Acting DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez, various measures are being implemented to reduce the price of airline tickets to local destinations.)
The DOTr said that if local planes are larger and capable of accommodating more passengers, the ticket price per person could be reduced. However, if the aircraft is smaller, passengers would have to pay a higher airfare.
"Ang ilang paliparan ng bansa, tulad ng mga iarport sa Catarman, Siargao, Antique at Busuanga ay puwede lang magamit ng maliliit na tuboprop aircraft, dahil sa maiksi ang kanilang mga runway," the statement read.
(Some airports in the country, such as those in Catarman, Siargao, Antique and Busuanga, can only be used by small turboprop aircraft, due to their short runways.)
One solution that the DOTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) are considering is extending the runways in the provinces so they could cater to larger jet aircraft. This is already being constructed in Antique's airport. The same will be done in other airports, the DOTr and CAB said.
The government is also working on a project that will make airports "night capable," where night flights can be offered to local passengers, potentially decreasing prices.
"Kung ito'y matupad, mas darami ang flights sa maliliit na airport at ito'y makakatulong din sa pagpapababa ng pamasahe," the statement read.
(If this is realized, there will be more flights at small airports and this will also help lower fares.)
The Department of Tourism and Malacañang have issued statements on the matter, assuring the public that the government will resolve issues on expensive domestic flights.
