The FAA has expressed concerns over the planned landing fee program at Falcon Field Airport (FFZ) and has asked the city of Mesa, Arizona, to delay the program. The fees pose a direct threat to flight schools, who depend on affordable, repetitive landings to complete their student training, and by extension, to an industry that is already struggling to produce enough new pilots to meet demand.
How it started
Mesa’s city council approved the landing fee program on March 23, which would charge aircraft based on their size, type and if they were based at FFZ. The money would be used to operate and maintain the airport…