Michigan airport's new landing fees ‘extremely concerning’

The fees start between $10 and $30 for most general aviation aircraft, and will go up every year through 2031.

"AOPA finds the proposed landing fee schedule extremely concerning, as small general aviation airports rarely charge landing fees to all aircraft, and the proposed... fee far exceeds many other categorical landing fee schedules for light aircraft (under 12,500 lbs.) at airports across the country," AOPA Great Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis wrote.

The airport logged 3,749 operations in 2025—mostly GA traffic. Lewis pointed out that other GA airports that have imposed landing fees on GA operators have seen as much as a 40-percent reduction in activity, and that out of 215 public-use airports in Michigan, only one GA airport currently charges fees to all weight categories of light GA aircraft—Mackinac Island Airport, a major tourism hub along the Great Lakes.

Lewis also asked that the Manistee Blacker Airport Authority provide the financial analysis used to determine the fees, as well as the cost-allocation methodology, operational-impact analysis, and other information to determine whether the fees are fair, reasonable, and appropriately allocated—as required by FAA rates and charges policies and the FAA airport sponsor grant assurances.

Airport Authority Chair Dyllan Walker responded in a letter, saying that local investment in the airport "has increased dramatically over several years... which reflects the commitment of our community to the airport."

However, Walker defended the fees, saying, "All stakeholders of the airport must share in the investment of the airport," and compared them to boat launch or downtown parking fees. Walker also said comparing Manistee County/Blacker Airport to other airports is only "nominally beneficial" as each airport has a "unique operating situation coupled with individual funding scenarios." Lewis also noted that “funding scenarios” for boat launches, marinas, and downtown parking meters do not generally include significant federal grants (which are in turn funded by fuel taxes paid by users), and are not subject to policies requiring fair and reasonable access as dictated in the grant assurances that airport sponsors agreed to.

In his letter, Walker said the landing fees would not apply to existing based aircraft, military and government, medevac, and touch-and-go operations, and that its proposed fee structure and collection process "was not communicated very well." Walker also clarified that the charge would be collected by the airport's FBO, not as a traditional per-landing fee.

However, the response did not address Lewis's questions about the information used to determine the amounts to be charged, nor did it explain whether aircraft that land and depart without using FBO services would be charged. Lewis addressed both in a second letter.

"AOPA recognizes that airports require reliable sources of revenue and that airport users may reasonably be expected to contribute toward the facilities and services they utilize," Lewis wrote. "Our concern is not whether MBL may collect reasonable aeronautical fees. Rather, our concern remains whether the proposed expansion of fees to light general aviation users is supported by an appropriate and transparent allocation of airport costs, and whether the resulting policy is in MBL's long-term financial and operational interests."

Lewis also addressed the relevance of comparing landing fees at Manistee County/Blacker Airport to other airports, stating, "The rarity of these charges among peer airports is relevant when evaluating whether MBL's proposed policy is reasonable, competitive, and likely to encourage or discourage use of the airport. AOPA therefore requests that MBL identify the comparable airports, financial circumstances, or industry benchmarks relied upon when determining the proposed fee amounts."

AOPA awaits a response from the airport authority to a request to postpone implementation of the fees until those questions are answered, and airport users have a chance to review and comment on them.