Aviation Day was marked by protests from labor and civic groups at the Maricaban Sports Center, raising alarm over the government’s approval of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) privatization deal. Critics said the agreement prioritizes business interests over workers and ordinary Filipinos.

National Confederation of Labor lead convenor Atty. Ernesto Arellano slammed the administration’s move to entrust the rehabilitation and operation of the country’s main gateway to San Miguel Corporation.

“Labor was set aside, and other sectors were set aside, and those given the opportunity were the big corporations that have control over the economy,” Arellano said.

Organizations such as the Pagkakaisa ng mga Users, Stakeholders at Obrero (PUSO) ng NAIA reiterated their appeal to the Supreme Court and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to stop the implementation of higher fees under the Manila International Airport Authority’s Revised Administrative Order 1, Series of 2024.

Under the order, international departure charges will increase to P950 from P550, while domestic terminal fees will rise to P390 from P200.

The organizations further called for the revocation of the concession deal granted to New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. (NNIC).

While the DOTr projects nearly P900 billion in government revenue over the 25-year concession, labor and aviation groups argue that this revenue will ultimately be sourced from higher passenger fees and related charges. They also flagged a “deficit payment clause” in the deal, which obliges the government to subsidize the concessionaire if proposed fee hikes are disapproved, potentially exposing taxpayers to further financial risk.