LONG BEACH, CA — The Long Beach Airport Advisory Commission will discuss whether the city can impose landing fees on general aviation aircraft during a Thursday meeting.
The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Long Beach Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Drive.
The discussion follows requests from 5th District Councilmember Megan Kerr for a public review of landing fees in response to ongoing community concerns regarding general aviation operations near the airport, according to the Press-Telegram.
General aviation includes a broad range of civilian aviation activity, including flight schools, recreational aircraft, corporate jets, helicopters and blimps.
Airport staff are expected to discuss federal rules governing aeronautical fees, how Long Beach Airport currently recovers airfield costs and how neighboring airports, including Van Nuys and John Wayne, structure similar fees,
Officials said federal regulations prohibit airports from using fees or other economic measures as an indirect means of restricting lawful aviation activity, meaning noise concerns alone cannot justify a landing fee.
Airport staff are also expected to note that any landing fee imposed on general aviation users would not generate additional net revenue because federal rules require such fees to be limited to recovering airfield costs.
Long Beach Airport currently recovers airfield costs through airline landing fees, which generated $12.9 million during fiscal year 2026, and general aviation fuel flowage fees, which generated $450,000 during the same period, according to the newspaper.
City News Service
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Long Beach, CA Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.