Airlines await fresh waiver on airport fees

The Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (Acap) welcomed the government’s decision to waive rental payments for Manila’s airport concessionaires but said they were still hoping for a reprieve on other airport fees.

This comes as losses mount for the airline industry, which is among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are still hoping that our request for waivers of airline operating costs like government charges [for] airline check-in counters, parking fees, landing fees and other navigational charges are also waived in 2021,” Roberto Lim, vice chair of Acap, told the Inquirer over the weekend.

Acap, which represents the country’s major airlines—Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Asia Philippines—has been lobbying for government support since the health crisis started in the Philippines in March last year.

Acap’s call was made after the Department of Transportation and the board of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) agreed to waive rental payments for concessionaires at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddes Libiran said this would cover payments from July 1 to December this year.

Lim said they were asking for a similar extension for other fees related to flight operations.

These were waived last year under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act. However, the law expired at the end of June this year.

“This MIAA initiative will benefit small, medium sized businesses like food retailers, store retailers and lounge concessionaires renting in the airport,” Lim explained.

“Some airlines still rent lounges so there is a benefit. But there are other charges, which we are asking to be waived,” he said.

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific saw combined losses of over P30 billion in the first semester of the year after passenger revenue collapsed with smaller offsets coming from the cargo business.

Other aviation companies were forced to adapt, with MacroAsia Corp. shifting meal production that was previously meant for in-flight catering to serve restaurants and businesses on the ground. INQ