Mesa, Arizona, has issued a revised proposal for landing fees at Falcon Field Airport that would replace the city’s previously approved structure after FAA scrutiny, complaints, litigation and an independent legal review. The plan would charge all aircraft $4.14 per 1,000 pounds of maximum landing weight, making the fee $10.35 for a 2,500-pound Cessna 172 or Piper Archer used in flight training.
The proposal removes the distinction between based and transient aircraft and appears to eliminate the 10 free monthly landings previously offered to based aircraft. The earlier plan set a charge of $20.35 per landing for based aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds or less, after the free landings, and $24.35 for comparable transient aircraft.
Exemptions would cover aircraft below 1,000 pounds, emergency landings, and public-safety, medical, federal and military operations. Mesa expects the revised schedule to generate about $2.5 million annually towards approximately $2.6 million in net airfield costs during fiscal 2026-27, including rising operating expenses and deferred maintenance.
The FAA has received at least four Part 13 complaints and is reviewing whether the fees comply with Mesa’s federal obligations. Falcon Field flight schools CAE Aviation Academy and Thrust Flight have filed a complaint and separately sued the city. AOPA, the Arizona Pilots Association and the Aviation Safety Advisory Group of Arizona have urged the FAA to require supporting financial records and consider enforcement if Mesa does not withdraw the fees.
Flight schools and pilot groups maintain that repeated training landings could raise instructional costs, threaten aviation jobs and affect use of the Phoenix-area airspace. The proposal is subject to a 60-day public-notice period and is scheduled for Mesa City Council consideration on 8 December. It has not been implemented, and the FAA review, complaints and lawsuit remain unresolved.