Landing fees ruled out in Buckeye, Arizona

Weeks before the Buckeye Air Fair is expected to welcome tens of thousands of attendees arriving in hundreds of aircraft, a Facebook group created to track the unwanted spread and pervasive nature of landing fee automation caused a stir on January 6, implying that the airport would soon join the ranks of a small but growing group of airports monetizing aircraft ADS-B data. Vendors are offering airport operators an automated billing system for landing fees based on ADS-B data, and AOPA has been pushing back on the practice in recent months by urging local governments and airport authorities not to co-opt the electronic aircraft tracking system for revenue collection. ADS-B was created and mandated to enhance airspace safety.

“The Buckeye Air Fair brings new enthusiasm to general aviation, and we need to promote affordable ways to keep this industry vibrant and strong,” said Orsborn. “As a supporter of general aviation, and a pilot myself, our use of technology has always been meant to enhance safety of flight and not to be used for surveillance and monetization. We are proud of our partnership with the aviation community and want to see it thrive.”

The city posted further clarification on its website in response to the unfounded rumor of landing fees being imposed during the Buckeye Air Fair, which drew more than 30,000 attendees and 340 aircraft in 2024. The city has contracted with Virtower, an independent company that is separate from landing fee automation vendor Vector Airport Systems, to tabulate airport operations using ADS-B. Buckeye, like other Virtower clients, uses that traffic count data to support applications for federal grants, most recently in its effort to win federal support for a contract air traffic control tower.

While Buckeye has made clear it will not use the data to impose landing fees at the airport, other airports are preparing to impose landing fees based on ADS-B data. The growing list includes several airports in Florida, as well as Safford, Arizona, which imposed fees in September, and in Torrance, California, where a lawsuit seeks to block the landing fee. It appears the fees are being instituted or contemplated at airports not based on demonstrated financial need, but most often to deter the use of publicly funded infrastructure, particularly for flight training. The lack of interest in the issue shown to date by some flight schools has been disappointing, with operators generally willing to pass the cost on to students. Furthermore, airports have been less than transparent about the financial need—or lack thereof—that might justify imposing new fees on users while also refusing to consider other revenue options.

“We want to work with our airport partners as we fully understand the need for and importance of maintaining a safe airport. Hopefully, we can help them find alternative revenue sources instead of imposing yet more fees on general aviation pilots. ADS-B should be used for air traffic safety purposes and not for collecting fees,” said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jim Coon.

AOPA remains opposed to the imposition of fees generated using a technology that was mandated by the FAA in 2020 to enhance safety in the sky, not to create electronic tollbooths on runways.

AOPA in September urged the FAA to halt third-party use of ADS-B data for purposes contrary to assurances given by the federal government that the data would be used only to prevent collisions, and is now working with allies in Congress to draft federal legislation that would prevent airports from using ADS-B data for revenue collection in ways that compromise safety by increasing the cost of flight training, and that discourage the owners of aircraft not yet equipped from installing ADS-B.