FAA Urges Halt To Falcon Field Landing Fees

The FAA is urging Mesa, Arizona, officials to delay Falcon Field’s new landing fee schedule while the agency reviews complaints filed over the program. The April 13 letter, which was made public about two days ago according to a field stakeholder, was sent by the FAA’s Office of Airport Compliance and Management Analysis to Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman, City Manager Scott Butler and Falcon Field Airport Director Corinne Nystrom.

FAA Raises Concerns

“At this time, based on publicly available information, we have significant concerns that the proposed landing fee structure may be inconsistent with the City’s Federal obligations, both grant assurances and Surplus Property Act conveyance obligations,” the FAA said in the letter. “The City’s landing fees structure may unreasonably interfere with, or limit, legitimate aeronautical activities. Any attempt to limit operations or specific types of operations, through landing fees, is not permissible.”

The FAA said at least two informal complaints had been filed under 14 CFR Part 13.2. The agency said the fee structure may conflict with several grant assurances, the FAA’s Rates and Charges Policy and, depending on the aircraft involved, the Airport Noise and Capacity Act and 14 CFR Part 161. The letter also cited possible impacts to air traffic management and efficiency in the Phoenix area, including diversions, go-arounds and pattern saturation.

AOPA Seeks Stay

AOPA also sent a May 28 letter to the FAA asking for an immediate stay on the fees until Mesa conducts a review and publicly shares an economic impact analysis. The association said the city intends to use ADS-B data to collect the fees and raised concerns over the effect of that approach on airport safety.

Mesa approved the fee schedule March 23. The schedule sets a $20.35 fee per landing for based fixed-wing aircraft at or below 6,000 pounds maximum landing weight and $24.35 per landing for itinerant fixed-wing aircraft in the same category.

Falcon Field had previously delayed implementation from May 1, and Mesa has said it plans to activate the collection system July 30 and begin collecting landing data for billing purposes Aug. 1.

Falcon Field leadership could not be reached for comment.