A group of pilots at Colorado’s Centennial Airport has taken its fight over steep hangar rent increases to court, escalating a dispute that has drawn the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aviation advocacy groups.
The lawsuit stems from a series of administrative complaints filed earlier this year after tenants at the Denver jetCenter FBO were notified that monthly rent for the airport’s “Town Hangars” would increase from $660 to $1,200 beginning April 1. Tenants contend the increase is unreasonable for hangars at a publicly funded airport and argue it violates the FAA’s requirement that aeronautical fees be “fair and reasonable.”
The recently formed Centennial Pilots Association says the dispute is about more than a single rent increase. The organization argues that rapidly rising costs and changes to lease terms threaten the long-term affordability of basing aircraft at Centennial Airport and could price many general aviation pilots out of the airport. The group has established a legal defense fund to help finance the case.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) caught wind of the issue and together with the Colorado Pilots Association challenged the proposed increase, sending a joint letter to airport leadership questioning its justification. The organizations argued that many of the FBO’s premium amenities primarily serve turbine and corporate operators rather than piston aircraft owners renting the town hangars, and urged the airport sponsor to ensure the rates comply with federal grant assurances tied to public funding.
After negotiations failed to resolve the dispute, tenants filed a Part 13 airport compliance complaint with the FAA, which remains under review.
“While the FBO’s argument that they are exempt from airport grant requirements because they, too, are tenants fails to pass a commonsense test, it will be an expensive proposition to prove that in court,” said AOPA Northwest Mountain Regional Manager Brad Schuster. “If jetCenters of Colorado prevails, it is only a matter of time before other FBOs impose egregious fees with no attempt to justify them.”
0 replies