Lawyers dispute MIAA claim on Naia terminal fees

A group of lawyers has disputed the claim by MIAA general manager Eric Gines that the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) will retain the lowest terminal fees in Southeast Asia following an upcoming rate increase.

Gines stated that the terminal fee for international passengers will rise from P550 to P950, and for domestic passengers, from P200 to P390.

He compared Naia's projected new international fee with those of airports in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, asserting that Naia's would remain the lowest.

The lawyers, who are petitioners in Supreme Court cases against Naia's concession agreement, called the comparison misleading.

They argued that other Southeast Asian airports with higher fees have undergone major construction, expansion, or modernization projects, unlike Naia's aging infrastructure.

The petitioners pointed out that while airports like Singapore's Changi and Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi have had significant recent upgrades, Naia, except for Terminal 3, relies on decades-old infrastructure without comparable improvements to justify the fee hike.