Public hearing today on terminal fee hike

CEBU, Philippines - The Mactan Cebu International Airport will hold a public hearing at 2 p.m. today on the plan to increase terminal fees in anticipation of the airport’s upgrade.

Airport General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete said the proposal is to increase the domestic terminal fee by P100 (P200 – P300) and the international terminal fee by P250 (P500 – P750).

Villarete said the MCIAA Board will explain the reasons behind the proposed increases during the hearing.

“We will explain all our reasons during the public hearing. It’s a public hearing. We will hear all views. That’s not final. The Board of Directors will make the final determination before end of the month,” he said.

Should the planned increases push through, the fees here will be higher than those at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and will be the most expensive in the country.

The Department of Transportation and Communication has awarded the P14.4 billion project to GMR-Megawide, the highest bidder.

It was earlier reported that GMR’s contract for an airport in Maldives was cancelled because the company allegedly collected an airport development fee, which was not sanctioned in the contract.

MCIA records show that from January to March this year, a total of 1,326,324 passengers used the domestic terminal while a total of 1,749,497 passengers used the international terminal.

The modernization project will involve constructing of a new world-class international passenger terminal building capable of handling eight million passengers annually. —(FREEMAN)