The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said that the government is already enacting measures to lower the prices of plane tickets for local destinations.

The DOTr and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), in a joint statement said that they are taking note of the worries of travelers about the high fares for domestic flights.

In accordance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Acting DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez, different measures are being implemented to reduce the price of airline tickets to local destinations, the statement read.

According to the DOTr and CAB, the first consideration is the size of the plane and its passenger capacity. The larger the plane and the more passengers it can accommodate, the lower will be the price per passenger, as more passengers will generate revenue.

(The fewer passengers, the higher the cost per passenger and the higher the fare.)

DOTr and CAB said some airports in the country, including those in Catarman, Siargao, Antique, and Busuanga, can only be used by small aircraft due to their short runways.

The DOTr and CAAP are addressing this challenge by extending runways to accommodate larger jet aircraft.

Further, DOTr and the CAAP are eyeing smaller airports in able to be “night capable,” or having day and night operations, to accommodate additional flights and lower the fares.

Prior to this, three major airline companies in the country vowed to remove their top two most expensive price buckets (fare classes) to lower airfares, according to Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco.