The government’s claim that the country’s main gateway, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), has the lowest terminal fees in Southeast Asia was questioned by petitioners amid the looming increase.

This was the defense of Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Eric Gines regarding the upcoming fee hike — from P550 to P950 for international passengers and from P200 to P390 for domestic travelers — arguing that NAIA’s rates remain cheaper than major regional airports.

Gines cited fees at Singapore’s Changi (P2,685), Phnom Penh (P1,710), Hanoi (P1,530), Bangkok (P1,240), and Tokyo’s Haneda (P1,135).

However, petitioners in Butuyan, et al. v. The Cabinet, et al. and Domingo & Oracion v. Department of Transportation, et al. called the comparison misleading. They said that, unlike NAIA, those airports raised fees after major construction, expansion, or modernization projects.

The petitioners argued that at NAIA, fees are increasing even without any visible improvements.

They noted in the Supreme Court petition that most Southeast Asian airports underwent significant upgrades in the past decade, resulting in modern facilities that justify higher charges. NAIA, by contrast, relies largely on decades-old infrastructure, except for Terminal 3, completed in 2014.

They also highlighted capacity issues, stating that while airports like Changi, Bangkok, and Haneda operate below or within their designed capacities, NAIA processes more than 50 million passengers annually — despite being built for only 29 million.

They said that normally, this should result in lower rates, not higher ones.

The petitioners further criticized the September 2024 handover of NAIA to the New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), a private consortium granted authority to raise fees without first investing in airport improvements.

“Other countries built or modernized their airports before charging passengers. At NAIA, passengers are being forced to pay for capital and operating costs without seeing any new infrastructure,” they said.

Differences in standards of living also undermine the government’s comparison. Although fees abroad appear higher in peso terms, they are more affordable relative to income levels in Singapore, Thailand, and Japan.

“Comparing NAIA to Changi, Bangkok, or Haneda is absurd. Those airports are world-class tourist attractions and architectural wonders. NAIA cannot compete,” petitioners said.

Even compared with newer Philippine airports like Mactan-Cebu, Davao, Kalibo, and Iloilo, NAIA fares poorly. In those cases, fees increased after private or government-led expansions, unlike at NAIA where passengers are paying first before seeing improvements.

The petitioners claimed, “In short, ginigisa ang Pilipino at NAIA passengers sa sarili nilang mantika (In short, Filipinos are paying the price themselves).”