Clark Regional Airport in Jeffersonville, Ind., is one of the most affordable airports to visit in the southern Indiana and northern Kentucky area, according to pilots, and AOPA is working with them to keep it that way.
On Aug. 14, the Clark County Board of Commissioners will evaluate the revenue produced from the landing fee structure that was implemented in June. The fee was established in an attempt to make the airport self-sufficient. Local pilots succeeded in getting an exemption from the fee for aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds. The amount of revenue generated will determine whether the waiver will continue for light aircraft.
AOPA has requested that the board keep the exemption for smaller aircraft. Charging a landing fee to smaller aircraft would likely hurt the airport because pilots, who are already facing the rising cost of avgas, would fly to airports with more affordable services and no fees.
“We know from anecdotal evidence from our local members that many transient pilots come to Clark Regional from nearby airports in Indiana and Kentucky due to the lower prices for essential aviation services,” wrote John Collins, AOPA senior liaison of airports. “If Clark County extends the landing fees to those smaller aircraft, it could very well drive off those same aircraft owners and further decrease the revenue generated by the airport.”
Collins concluded, “AOPA encourages Clark County to be one of those airports pilots choose to utilize because they can get a better value for their dollar.”
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