San Carlos Airport To Impose New Fees For Charter Landings

REDWOOD CITY, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Tuesday adopted a resolution assessing new fees for charter aircraft landings in a bid to offset the costs of increased operations at its two facilities. The Board also adopted the Airports’ Operations and Security Systems Privacy Policy which will govern how a new aircraft tracking system is used.

Beginning immediately, all charter aircraft operators will pay a $75 landing fee at the San Carlos and Half Moon Bay Airports. Charter passengers at the San Carlos Airport will also be charged a $10 per day overnight vehicle parking fee for a limited number of vehicle spaces during a six-month pilot period. The Board will review the parking fee at the end of the pilot period to determine whether to continue the fee. Overnight vehicle parking fees are not being recommended for the Half Moon Bay Airport at this time because there is sufficient parking and a limited number of requests.

The landing and parking fees collectively are estimated to generate approximately $150,000 in net revenue annually.

The landing fee revenue will be used by the County to offset costs related to operations and capital infrastructure needed to maintain runways, taxiways, and aircraft parking areas at the airport. While the total number of operations has remained steady over the last five years, commuter and charter operations have increased significantly in that same period. As a result, the airport has required extra staffing, expanded hours of operation, seen additional use of its facilities, and incurred unanticipated maintenance expenses.

The $75 fee adopted by the Board is consistent with landing fees charges by several nearby general aviation airports. The San Carlos Airport’s Business Association, Pilot Association and the airport’s aviation consultants support the fees as a means to offset the costs of using the airfield. The fees will be automatically billed through the Vector Airport System and won’t require additional staff.

The automated aircraft billing system will be joined by a Privacy Policy, also adopted by the Board at Tuesday’s meeting, which clarifies the use of the Vector System’s camera feed digital images needed for billing purposes.

— SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY: County of San Mateo / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone