Santa Monica To Raise Landing Fees – Based Aircraft Exemption Eliminated
Posted on February 6th, 2019
Santa Monica Wants to Raise Landing Fees
After more than three hours listening to nearly 100 comments from local residents and aviation advocates, members of the Santa Monica city council voted Tuesday night to adopt a resolution that will apply landing fees to all aircraft flying into Santa Monica Airport in Southern California, as well as more than double the fee for aircraft previously subject to the charge. The airport currently charges landing fees to transient aircraft (based aircraft are exempt), assessed at $2.07 per thousand pounds of “certificated maximum gross landing weight.” This rate was established in August 2005. As of August 1, landing fees will rise to $5.48 per 1,000 pounds and the based-aircraft exemption will be eliminated, meaning the fees will apply to all operations at Santa Monica. Under the new, higher landing fee rate schedule, a Gulfstream IV operator will pay $323.32, about $200 more than at present. A Hawker 800XP owner will pay $120.56, up from $45.54. While the resolution to increase landing fees did not exempt emergency, medical or charitable flights, after Tuesday’s vote the council agreed to reconsider applying the fee to these flights before the August 1 deadline.
