Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona [Credit: Shutterstock/Tim Roberts Photography]
Key Takeaways:
The Mesa City Council has approved new landing fees at Falcon Field (KFFZ), effective May 1, which are projected to generate $2.6 million annually for airport operations.
Flight schools at KFFZ express significant concern that the $20 per landing fee will drastically increase training costs for students, potentially forcing businesses to close and exacerbating the existing pilot shortage.
While city officials state the fees are for airport self-sustainability, many operators believe they are primarily a response to neighbor noise complaints and were implemented without meaningful collaboration with affected businesses.
On Tuesday the Mesa City Council voted to adopt landing fees at Falcon Field (KFFZ). According to city officials, the fees could bring in about $2.6 million a year that will be used to support airport operations.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
