June 27, 2025
NBAA supports the recent decision by the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Board of Airport Commissioners to put off a planned vote on a measure to implement landing fees at Van Nuys Airport (VNY), noting that the pause allows for a productive dialogue among stakeholders on the matter.
NBAA and five other general aviation associations urged officials to delay approval of the fees, and the board elected not to move forward on the matter earlier this month.
Board President Karim Webb said action on the landing fee “will be deferred to a future board meeting, as LAWA staff wish to continue discussions about the purpose of the landing fee with LAWA’s partners in the Van Nuys aviation community and stakeholders in the interest of positive transparency and collaboration.”
Alex Gertsen, CAM, NBAA senior director, airport advocacy and vertical infrastructure, welcomed the decision.
“We appreciate Mr. Webb and the Board of Airport Commissioners for recognizing that the process to develop a robust landing fee methodology for Van Nuys requires more time and collaboration and providing the stakeholders and the LAWA staff the opportunity to continue to work together to reach a solution with an outcome for the airport and the users that depend on it,” Gertsen said.
NBAA isn’t inherently opposed to landing fees; however, fees that aren’t equitable and reasonable, or which are based on inadequate methodology and data, or which are adopted without an adequate opportunity for stakeholder input, can jeopardize an airport’s accessibility, and – ultimately – its viability, Gertsen noted.
In a June 4 letter, six groups – NBAA; the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; the Experimental Aircraft Association; the General Aviation Manufacturers Association; the National Air Transportation Association; and Vertical Aviation International – urged the board to delay the proposal, and address oversights and uncertainties in the record that had been made public. Read the full letter to the board.
LAWA, which also oversees Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), had proposed a first-ever landing fee for VNY of $9.65/1,000 lbs. maximum ross landing weight, purportedly to help cover maintenance and infrastructure costs. But that fee would be 50% higher for general aviation at VNY than at LAX and would “short-circuit VNY’s reliever capabilities and create potential significant traffic impacts to LAX,” the aviation groups wrote.
“We do not believe that LAWA has provided sufficient information to the tenants and users of VNY to fulfill its federal obligations,” the groups wrote, adding, “there is no substantiation of how LAWA arrived at the $7.5 million dollar revenue target to be raised through landing fees.”
The groups also noted that LAWA’s FY2026 budget would terminate the “reliever fee” that has historically been assessed to air carriers at LAX to provide supplemental revenue for VNY, allowing VNY to fulfill its role as a reliever to congestion at LAX.
“The local aviation community depends on VNY for flight training and proficiency, among other functions,” the groups noted. “The $9.65 fee (will) serve as an access restriction for light general aviation at a critical time when we are battling restrictions at other area airports, such as Zamperini Field (TOA) in Torrance, CA.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.