The city of Mesa, Arizona, has proposed a revised landing fee schedule for Falcon Field Airport following a legal review prompted by federal litigation and FAA scrutiny. Under the revised proposal, all aircraft, including fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, drones and eVTOLs, would be charged $4.14 per 1,000 pounds of maximum landing weight. For an aircraft weighing 2,500 pounds, the fee would be $10.35 per landing.
Revised Fee Structure
The new schedule replaces the previously approved fees of $20.35 per landing for based fixed-wing aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds or less and $24.35 for comparable itinerant aircraft. The earlier plan included 10 free monthly landings for based aircraft, an exemption that appears to be absent from the revised proposal. AVweb contacted Mesa to confirm whether the allowance has been eliminated and how touch-and-go operations would be billed, but had not received a response as of Monday afternoon.
The revised schedule also proposes exemptions for aircraft weighing less than 1,000 pounds, emergency landings, and public safety, medical, federal and military operations. According to the city’s Oct. 9 financial report, Falcon Field faces approximately $2.6 million in net airfield costs for fiscal year 2026-27. The revised landing fees are expected to generate approximately $2.5 million annually. Mesa says the additional revenue is necessary to address rising operating costs and deferred maintenance as proceeds from a $4.6 million airport land sale in 2006 approach exhaustion.
Legal Challenges Continue
The revisions follow a federal lawsuit filed by CAE Aviation Academy and Thrust Flight challenging the original fees. A federal judge denied the schools’ request for a preliminary injunction, although the underlying litigation remains pending. Separately, the FAA requested a delay in implementation while reviewing complaints concerning the program.
“Any attempt to limit operations or specific types of operations, through landing fees, is not permissible,” the FAA said in an April 13 letter to Mesa officials.
The city subsequently retained aviation law firm Anderson & Kreiger LLP to review the fee structure. The revised proposal is now subject to a 60-day public notice period, and Mesa plans additional consultation with airport users before bringing the changes to the City Council for consideration on Dec. 8. If approved, the city intends to proceed with implementation and collection of the landing fees.
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