To cut travel costs, airlines seek lower fees, extended runways

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February 4, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s largest carriers have scored the government for seemingly placing all the blame on them for high local travel costs, pointing to other factors such as airport charges and infrastructure inadequacies that need to be addressed.

In a statement, the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) said it is open to working with the government in its efforts to bring down the cost of domestic travel.

However, ACAP said airfares only form one part of the cost structure, underscoring the urgency of addressing critical issues that cause prices to go up.

For one, ACAP reminded the government that airlines have to pay airport fees that push up their flying costs. At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), almost every fee has ballooned since 2024 when its management was turned over to the private sector.

As covered by the concession agreement, the New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. raised fees on aircraft parking, landing and takeoff, tacking on operations, terminal rental and use of counters. Landing and takeoff fees rose by almost five-fold for some airlines.

On top of this, ACAP said several airports in island destinations, which are managed by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, remain incapable of handling jetliners.

This leaves airlines with no choice but to deploy turboprop aircraft to local airports with shorter runways, which include tourist magnets Batanes, Coron and Siargao.

Turboprops can ferry a maximum of 78 people only, while single-aisle jets like the Airbus A320 can carry as many as 180 passengers per flight, making them more cost-efficient to fly per seat.

Given this, ACAP wants the government to find ways to resolve structural issues that contribute to the costliness of domestic travel. The group said now is the best time to lower travel costs, as Filipinos are taking trips more often than before the pandemic.

“Our domestic passenger volumes are now higher than before COVID, showing a healthy market that benefits local tourism. However, structural cost pressures, such as airport charges, taxes and infrastructure limits, affect the economics of domestic flights,” ACAP said.

Recently, regulators, led by the Department of Transportation, have investigated airlines on why fares for domestic flights, particularly to Coron and Siargao, are costlier than overseas trips.

ACAP is made up of the country’s leading carriers Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and AirAsia Philippines.

Together, they flew 44.6 million passengers in 2024 with their combined fleet of 194 aircraft.