Consumer group petitions court over unjust airport fee hikes

A consumer group filed a court petition on Wednesday questioning the increases in airport fees under the new San Miguel-led private sector operator of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), citing them as 'unjust and unreasonable' for consumers.

The Consumers Union of the Philippines (CUP) claims that certain provisions of the NAIA concession agreement and MIAA Revised Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2024, should be declared invalid and unconstitutional.

CUP argues that some fees, such as overnight parking for cars and commercial rent or leasing of terminal buildings, are non-regulated and can be imposed without government oversight.

The petitioners noted an immediate increase in the overnight parking fee to P1,200 from P300 shortly after NNIC acquired the contract, causing distress among passengers.

CUP also highlighted that other fees like landing, take-off, and aircraft parking fees have increased, which could lead to higher airfares for consumers.

The group criticized the immediate effectivity of these fee increases without corresponding improvements in airport services and urged the government to shoulder additional costs rather than burdening consumers.

The petitioners also flagged NAIA's fees as they were 'too high, unreasonable, detrimental to the public and against public policy', potentially harming tourism prospects.