Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona [Credit: Shutterstock/Tim Roberts Photography]
Key Takeaways:
Mesa, Arizona has approved a $20 per landing fee at Falcon Field (KFFZ), effective May 1st, projected to generate $2.6 million annually for airport operations and self-sustainability.
Flight schools at KFFZ express significant concern, stating the fees will drastically increase flight training costs, potentially forcing business closures, reducing aviation activity, and negatively impacting the pilot pipeline.
Critics suggest the landing fees are primarily a response to noise complaints from nearby residents aiming to reduce airport traffic, rather than solely a financial necessity, and were decided 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.
