ADS-B-Derived Landing Fee Proposal Hits Snag in Orlando

The AOPA credits a flurry of input from local pilots just two days before the January 15 vote for the decision to reconsider the proposal.

“It is rare for GA aircraft owners to be billed for landing fees, though the relatively recent creation of businesses that harvest ADS-B data from third-party providers and use it to generate invoices sent to registered owners on behalf of airport operators has been too tempting for many airports to resist—even as community members question whether the airports actually need the money,” AOPA Southern Region manager Stacey Heaton wrote in a published report.

Heaton described the events of just a few hectic days around the proposed vote.

“After months of claiming that GOAA had not established a landing fee policy, the board scheduled a January 15 vote,” he said. “Just as abruptly, a January 13 meeting was called to hear from the public on the landing fee proposal. The short notice for that 4 p.m. [EDT] meeting made it difficult for many to attend. AOPA emailed members in the region a call to action that was quickly amplified by word of mouth, and I was gratified to see more than 100 concerned pilots arrive for a standing-room-only event. Many members who were unable to attend in person sent emails voicing their concerns.”

The following evening, the GOAA board staff announced that airport leadership had opted to delay considering the landing fee proposal “pending review and refinement.”

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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