Mesa, Arizona, has proposed a new landing-fee schedule for Falcon Field Airport after a legal review of its earlier plan. The revised charge would be $4.14 per 1,000 pounds of maximum landed weight, with the City Council scheduled to consider the changes on 8 December 2026. A 2,500-pound aircraft would pay $10.35 for each chargeable landing.
A new calculation for airfield costs
The city's 9 October fees report proposes the same weight-based formula for fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, drones and eVTOL aircraft. It estimates net airfield costs of about $2.6 million in the 2026-27 financial year and annual revenue of approximately $2.5 million from the changes.
Mesa says proceeds from a 2006 airport land sale, which generated more than $4.6 million, will be exhausted within one to two years. The airport has used those funds alongside its annual revenue while deferring maintenance and capital improvements. The revised calculation is intended to recover airfield costs, and the city plans to consult airport users before the council acts.
Review follows challenges to the original plan
KJZZ reported on 10 October that the council approved landing fees in March to help make the airport financially self-sustaining. The programme subsequently drew both litigation and FAA scrutiny.
In April, the FAA began reviewing concerns that the charges targeted particular airport users and could affect safety in the wider Phoenix-area airspace. Mesa then commissioned its own review from aviation law firm Anderson & Kreiger, with the latest proposal reflecting that advice.
The public-comment process gives users another opportunity to assess how the revised formula would affect their operations before a council decision. KJZZ reports that the proposal includes exceptions for aircraft below 1,000 pounds and for emergency, public-safety, medical and military operations. The December meeting is therefore a decision point for a proposed schedule, rather than confirmation that the revised charges are already being collected. Operators can use the consultation to examine the proposed treatment of their aircraft and missions, alongside the intended exemptions, before planning around a final fee schedule.
Questions remain for frequent users
AVweb's 12 October report highlights a potentially important change for aircraft based at Falcon Field. The earlier arrangement allowed 10 free landings each month. That allowance appears absent from the replacement proposal, but the publication had not received a response from Mesa confirming its removal or explaining how touch-and-go operations would be billed.
The previous schedule set a $20.35 charge for based fixed-wing aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds or less, and $24.35 for comparable visiting aircraft. Although the proposed per-landing amount would be lower for the 2,500-pound example, any change to the free allowance could alter the overall bill for regular users.
AVweb also reports that a federal judge rejected the request by CAE Aviation Academy and Thrust Flight for a preliminary injunction, while the underlying lawsuit remains unresolved. The FAA separately asked for implementation to be delayed during its review.
For pilots and training businesses, the final exemptions and billing rules will be as important as the headline rate. Those details remain part of the proposal's practical impact as consultation continues.
Image: AI-generated conceptual editorial illustration, not a photograph of the event, aircraft or facility.
Comments
Loading commentsβ¦