MCIAA Set to Increase Terminal Fees

Mactan Cebu International Airport Authorities (MCIAA) are scheduled to conduct a public hearing at 2 p.m. today on their plan to increase the terminal fees for those passengers who will pass through the domestic and international departure and arrival areas.

Mactan Airport General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete said the public hearing will be conducted by the Board of Directors of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authorities (MCIAA) who already invited the public to attend for them to air their sentiments.

Villarete said the proposal is to increase the domestic terminal fee for every passenger from P200 to P300, while the existing P500 terminal fee for the international arrival and departure areas will be also raised to P750.

Some persons who are constant users of the airport are wondering on why the airport officials are planning to increase the airport terminal fees while the GMR-Megawide is already scheduled to start next month its project to improve the airport terminal building and to operate it for years.

The GMR-Megawide bidded the highest amount for the MCIA project of P14.4 billion and the DOTC Bids and Awards Committee has already awarded the project to them.

A businessman, who requested anonymity, has questioned the move of the airport officials of planning to increase the airport terminal fee when GMR is already scheduled to start its project by October.

“Will GMR rather stand to benefit from this midnight maneuver? I’m wary,” he said.

Villarete quickly defended the MCIAA Board of Director’s plan, by saying “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.”

There were some travelers who said that if the planned increase of terminal fees will push through, it will make Mactan Airport the most expensive airport in the country, even more than any of Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals.

It was earlier reported that GMR’s contract with Maldives airport was cancelled because it collected also an airport development fee that was not sanctioned in the contract.

The records of the Mactan Airport show that from January to March this year there were 1,326,324 passengers who arrived and departed through its domestic terminal, while 1,749,497 at the international departure and arrival areas.

“I may agree to an increase in terminal fees if we now see improvements, and it will be government and not a private entity that will benefit from it,” the Cebuano businessman said.

The multi-billion peso Mactan Airport terminal project aimed to modernizing the second largest aviation hub in the country by constructing a new world-class international passenger terminal building capable of handling eight million passengers annually.

Image Credit: www.rappler.com