DOTC orders all airports to integrate terminal fees in ticket prices

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will not be the only Philippine airport that will soon have its terminal fee integrated into airline ticket prices.

Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya ordered other airport authorities in the country to adopt a similar setup.

“We want to improve passenger convenience at all our airports, not just through infrastructure and facilities upgrades, but also through more efficient business processes. I have asked the other airport authorities to follow MIAA’s lead,” Abaya said Monday in a DOTC press release.

He added that the DOTC is also developing several key airports nationwide to accept more international flights.

"We are expanding Cebu and Clark, and at the same time, upgrading or replacing those in Puerto Princesa, Bohol, Bicol, and Caticlan,” Abaya said.

Ordered to implement a similar integration of terminal fees into airline ticket prices were:

• Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA)
• Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC)
• Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)

The CAAP operates the country’s airports besides NAIA, Cebu, and Clark.

On Aug. 1 last year, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) integrated terminal fees for domestic flights and is due to implement a similar system for international flights from October 2014 to September 2015.

“The transition period is meant to cover those passengers who have purchased their tickets in advance,” the DOTC said.

Sangley Airport

Meanwhile, the DOTC said the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recommended Sangley Airport as the site for the country’s long-term international gateway.

A feasibility study will be conducted, targeting the inauguration of a new main airport by 2025.

The DOTC will still present the long-term gateway options to President Benigno Aquino III for approval.

The options may include the final location of Manila’s new gateway, and what happens to NAIA once a new airport is built. —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News