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February 6, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Airfares to two major tourist spots in the country – Batanes and Siargao – are expensive largely due to lack of infrastructure in those destinations, according to a tourism executive.
In an interview over dzBB, Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) president Jaison Yang pointed out that the airports in the two tourist spots could accommodate only small aircraft, which could have driven ticket prices to go up.
“Select few destinations like Basco, Batanes and Siargao are very expensive due to issues concerning infrastructure at the airport. Only small aircraft could land there. Smaller aircraft means smaller number of passengers, but higher fares,” he said in English and Filipino.
But Yang stressed airfares to other destinations such as Cebu, Iloilo, Bohol and Palawan remain “very competitive.”
Yang shared his insights ahead of the three-day Travel Tour Expo of the PTAA this weekend, now on its 33rd year.
At the event, travel enthusiasts can score huge discounts by availing themselves of several promos on flights, tour packages, accommodations and other travel services, he said.
He explained travel agencies who belong to PTAA get discounts by “buying in volume” the services they availed of from airlines, hotels and other supplies, and share them with their clients.
Yang also underscored the benefits of booking their trips with travel agencies, which offer a wide range of assistance and services particularly travel insurance and itinerary.
For her part, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the DOT has been reaching out to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) since 2022 to request for improvements in 30 airports across the country.
“In 2022 we submitted to the DOTr a wishlist of 30 airports for improvement in terms of expanding the terminal or the runway, or improving the overall airway,” she said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum last Wednesday.
She noted that the Marcos administration has “very aggressively pushed” for the transfer of management of airports to the private sector, which has been carried out at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and those in Bohol and Laguindingan in Mindanao.
Also, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has reported “runway expansion projects being undertaken in order to accommodate wider-body aircraft that will make sure the high pricing currently due to limited capacity of turboprops will be allayed.”
She also cited the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp.’s plan to transfer all turboprop aircraft to the airport in Clark.
She also said the DOT has asked the Civil Aeronautics Board to “publish a monthly index of airline tickets so there is no price shock, and CAB is able to hold on what the franchise of airlines would require to maintain just and reasonable pricing of airline tickets.”
In a radio interview with True FM, acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez also said efforts are underway to equip regional airports with longer runways to be able to handle jets.
At the minimum, Lopez said runways should span 2,100 meters, the takeoff space needed by single-aisle jets like the Airbus A320.
Turboprops can fly a maximum of 78 passengers only, but single-aisle aircraft like the A320 can ferry up to 180 people per flight, making them more cost-efficient to fly. Lopez said expanding runways is key toward lowering fares for domestic flights.
“Our policy right now in the DOTr, when it comes to new airports that would be built, they must have a runway of 2,100 meters minimum, so they are prepared for bigger aircraft in the future,” Lopez said.
However, he said there are some airports where runways would be difficult to extend due to topographical challenges.
