Benise Balaoing

Travelers queue at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 to take their respective flights after the momentary shutdown of the Philippine airspace due to maintenance work on May 17. 2023. Flights at the Manila airport resumed on Wednesday after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines replaced the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units at its air traffic management center from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.


Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Travelers queue at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 to take their respective flights after the momentary shutdown of the Philippine airspace due to maintenance work on May 17. 2023. Flights at the Manila airport resumed on Wednesday after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines replaced the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) units at its air traffic management center from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

MANILA AIRPORT

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177444873560820240327-naia-holy-week-rush-MD-6.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Passengers flock to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on March 27, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File" width="960"/>Passengers flock to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on March 27, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</div>MANILA (UPDATED) -- Petitioners against the concession agreement between the New NAIA Infra Corp. and the government have urged the Supreme Court anew to issue a Temporary Restraining Order.In their second motion reiterating the issuance of a TRO or other injunctive remedies, petitioners Rico Domingo and Cesar Oracion cited the war in the Middle East as one of the reasons why the high court should issue a TRO.Last year, the petitioners filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition for the nullification of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Concession Agreement, which they say is illegal and unconstitutional.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/5/2/naia-concession-deal-challenged-by-another-group-of-lawyers-1618" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Constitutionality of NAIA concession deal challenged by new group of lawyers</a></div>Their reiterative motion cited the impact of the Revised Administrative Order No. 1, Series of 2024, which supposedly increased the rates of fees at the NAIA, which is directly felt by travelers, airlines, and other businesses operating at NAIA.“The ongoing war in the Middle East and the significant economic impact it has had on every Filipino&#x27;s daily life further highlight the urgent need for the honorable court to spare Filipinos from the unnecessary and unjustified economic burden caused by the unconstitutional and illegal Revised AO,” the petitioners said.&quot;Maraming reasons why urgent ang atin pong motion… araw-araw, more or less, 20 million ang dagdag na kinokolekta sa mga pasahero dahil sa increasing passenger terminal fee,&quot; Oracion said, stressing that the issue is not hypothetical but ongoing. &quot;Hindi po ito future harm. Nangyayari na po ito… 20 million everyday ang prejudice sa riding public.&quot;Oracion added that without court intervention, the system may normalize the increases, making them harder to reverse. &quot;&#x27;Pag wala pong TRO… nasasanay ang sistema. &#x27;Pag nasanay na ang sistema, mahirap nang baliktarin pa ito,&quot; he said, also pointing to what he described as a &quot;double burden&quot; on passengers due to both fuel surcharges and higher airport fees.Domingo, for his part, sharply criticized the concession arrangement, calling it disadvantageous to the public.&quot;Isang napakalaking kabudulan ang nakikita ko rito… ang dating manager ng NAIA, ng gobyerno, ay ngayon ang manager ng bagong concession,&quot; he said. &quot;The people of the Philippines are being tripped… nilalaro lamang tayo para sila ay kumita.&quot;He further argued that the concession deal limits the government&#x27;s ability to regulate fees, particularly during crises. &quot;Sa panahon ng crisis… dapat kayang baguhin ng gobyerno ang singil, pero ngayon hindi na… they make sure that these fee increases are not regulated,&quot; Domingo said, warning that the system is effectively &quot;locked&quot; by contractual obligations.&quot;Naka-lock ang sistema dahil sa kontrata… kung hindi mo kayang galawin ang singil sa pinakamalaking airport, may mali ang ating sistema,&quot; he added, describing the issue as a broader structural problem affecting Filipinos&#x27; purchasing power. &quot;Ang tao ay umiiyak na… nawawalan na ng tiwala sa sistema.&quot;The petitioners reiterated that a TRO is the &quot;only effective and comprehensive means&quot; to prevent further financial harm to passengers and businesses operating at NAIA.<div> </div><div>CONSOLIDATED PETITIONS</div>The petitions of Domingo and Oracion were consolidated by the Supreme Court with the similar petitions filed by lawyer Joel Butuyan and Puso ng NAIA secretariat head Romeo Sauler.Domingo and Oracion reiterated that respondents, the Department of Transportation, Manila International Airport Authority, among others, committed grave abuse of discretion for violating the Philippine Constitution and the Public-Private Partnership Code of the Philippines.They also cited the supposed increase in fees, including the following:a. landing and takeoff fees for aircraft increased by 220 percent; b. aircraft parking rates for the first half hour per aircraft up to 50,000 kilograms increased by 1444.12 pct. for international operations and 1433.75 pct. for domestic operations; c. aircraft tacking fees increased by 60 pct.; d. Non-Regulated Lease/Rental, which are charged and hiked at will by Respondent NNIC, being merely subject to minimum rates under the Revised AO.The petitioners also noted that the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has already authorized a Level 8 fuel surcharge for certain flights effective April 1, 2026, which will increase ticket costs by as much as P6,208.98 for some international flights and by P253 to P787 for certain domestic flights.They stressed that higher airport charges raise the operating costs of airlines, which are ultimately passed on to consumers.“Verily, the issuance of a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction is the only effective and comprehensive means to relieve passengers and NAIA users from these unjustified higher NAIA rates, and to prevent grave and irreparable financial harm to the public in general, especially in view of the serious financial detrimental effects caused by the crisis in the Middle East,” the petitioners said.In a statement, the NNIC said it respects the right of any group to seek legal remedies as it also recognizes the strain of rising prices on Filipino families including Overseas Filipino Workers and everyday passengers who use the NAIA.The NNIC however noted that OFWs already enjoy exemptions from the travel tax and international terminal fee at NAIA.&quot;These are existing protections that should be clearly understood, as they directly benefit the sector many of these groups are advocating for,&quot; the NNIC said.The NNIC also stressed that for many years, NAIA&#x27;s fees remained unchanged even if the airport grew busier which contributed to congestion, ageing facilities and service limitations.&quot;Improving NAIA and making it safer, more modern, and more eﬃcient requires sustained investment,&quot; the NNIC said.The NNIC also reiterated that the NAIA concession comes with clear obligations, government oversight and accountability to the public. &quot;It was awarded through an open and competitive bidding process, and we remain confident in its legal and contractual foundations,&quot; the NNIC said.Since taking over NAIA operations in September 2024, the NNIC has introduced changes to the country&#x27;s main gateway, like <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/10/1/naia-raises-parking-fees-to-prioritize-passengers-1556" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">raising parking fees</a> and implementing a new <a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/3/3/naia-implements-automated-parking-system-2051" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">automated parking system</a>. It opened the <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/1/13/no-longer-just-for-vips-naia-t1-arrival-curbside-now-open-to-all-1714" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">main arrival curbside at NAIA Terminal 1</a> — previously open only to VIPs — to all passengers. The airport has also opened a <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/10/20/naia-opens-food-hall-at-terminal-3-1837" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new food hall</a> in Terminal 3 and started <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/12/16/naia-now-using-new-immigration-e-gates-1053" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">using new immigration e-gates</a> in December.

Petitioners against the concession agreement between the New NAIA Infra Corp. and the government have urged the Supreme Court anew to issue a Temporary Restraining Order.

Petitioners against the concession agreement between the New NAIA Infra Corp. and the government have urged the Supreme Court anew to issue a Temporary Restraining Order.

High Court again urged to issue TRO vs NAIA concession deal amid Mideast conflict

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High Court again urged to issue TRO vs NAIA concession deal amid Mideast conflict

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 25, 2026 03:40 PM PHT

|

Updated March 25, 2026 10:26 PM PHT

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NAIA

airport fees

temporary restraining order

New NAIA Infra Corp.

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