Manistee County/Blacker Airport in northern Michigan will begin charging visiting general aviation aircraft new airfield activity fees Oct. 1 following approval by the Manistee Blacker Airport Authority on Aug. 17. According to the airport’s FY2027 rates and charges schedule, aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds will pay $10, while aircraft from 6,000 pounds to less than 12,500 pounds will be charged $30.
Fees Scale With Aircraft Weight
The schedule sets fees at $75 for aircraft weighing at least 12,500 pounds, $110 at 25,000 pounds, $150 at 50,000 pounds and $200 at 75,000 pounds. Helicopters will be charged $25.
Based aircraft, military and government aircraft, Angel Flight and medevac operations and touch-and-goes are exempt. The fees are scheduled to increase annually through fiscal year 2031, subject to Airport Authority approval.
Orchard Beach Aviation will collect the charges from applicable aircraft that park on the apron and whose pilots exit the aircraft, as well as aircraft receiving FBO services. Purchasing fuel does not eliminate the fee.
Airport Director Miles Weaver said in an August memorandum that staff reviewed the airport’s operating budget and rates at comparable airports while developing the schedule.
“All stakeholders of the airport must share in the investment of the airport,” Airport Authority Chair Dyllan Walker wrote in a response reported by AOPA.
Walker said Manistee’s local investment in the airport has increased in recent years and argued that comparisons with other airports have limited value because airports operate under different financial circumstances.
AOPA Questions Fee Structure
AOPA said it has requested that the authority postpone new charges while it provides additional information about how the fees were calculated. The organization said Manistee recorded 3,749 operations in 2025, which included primarily GA traffic. AOPA also questioned whether the fees are supported by an appropriate allocation of airport costs. AOPA said it was awaiting a response to its request as of Thursday.
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