The Supreme Court was asked by a group of lawyers, taxpayers, and frequent airline passengers to immediately stop the implementation of the controversial privatization deal for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the steep fee increases it has triggered.

Petitioners led by lawyer Joel R. Butuyan, in an urgent motion filed on 18 August 2025, sought a temporary restraining order (TRO), preliminary injunction, or status quo ante order against the MIAA Revised Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2024 (RAO1), and the Concession Agreement signed by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), and private operator New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) in March 2024.

They said the concession agreement and RAO1 were approved “in outright violation of the Constitution and the law,” as they bypassed requirements under the PPP Code, BOT Law, Administrative Code, and MIAA’s charter, and were finalized without proper public consultations or regulatory approvals.

Fees at NAIA have surged since NNIC’s takeover on 14 September 2024—landing and takeoff charges by 220 percent, aircraft parking by up to 1,433 percent, and terminal fees set to rise by 72 to 95 percent on 14 September this year. Petitioners warned that these hikes are being passed on to millions of passengers and businesses, depriving them of property without due process.

Petitioners added that refunds for individual travelers would be “virtually impossible,” especially for foreign tourists and consumers facing indirect cost increases inside the airport. “We are here dealing with people’s hard-earned money, of which they are already being deprived every day without due process of law,” the motion read.

It said the Supreme Court’s inaction for more than four months had allowed NNIC to “commercially benefit from an unconstitutional and illegal order and contract” to the detriment of at least 130,000 daily passengers.

The group asked the Court to restore conditions at NAIA as they stood before the handover to NNIC on 13 September 2024, stressing the “extreme urgency” with the looming increase in passenger service charges next month.