By Robert Trimborn, Airport Manager, Santa Monica (CA) Municipal Airport
Santa Monica Fees Explained
The target: protecting the airfield, not deterring bizav use, says manager In the September 2003 edition of Airport Business, it was reported that the Santa Monica Airport (SMO) opposed the recently published FAA Notice of Proposed Policy regarding weight-based restrictions at airports "after recently imposing weight-based landing fees in a move to discourage larger business aircraft use." Here, SMO manager Bob Trimborn offers a clarification of the airport's fee structure as well as the motivations behind its implementation.
It is true that the
City of Santa Monica opposed the proposed policy that is patently unworkable
and places an undue burden on airport operators by forcing them to establish
a complex tracking and points system to accommodate aircraft that exceed
the airport's pavement design weight limitations.
However, it is inaccurate to characterize the recently adopted revised
landing fee program as a program designed to deter larger business aircraft
use.
The revised landing fee program is based upon a relative damage factor
scale that relates the negative impacts caused by the weight of specific
aircraft. Pavement condition is directly affected by usage and therefore
the associated maintenance costs are directly correlated with the weight
of aircraft and their impact on the airside surfaces. This type of user
fee is not a new concept in the transportation industry - outside of aviation.
It is primarily applied to interstate trucking and, in some cases, assessed
by local governments to refuse haulers, asphalt/concrete businesses, gravel
pit operators, and other heavy truck-intensive industries which damage
community roadways leading to and from their primary facilities.
In 2000, the City of Santa Monica hired a highly reputable, industry recognized
consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the airport's runway
and taxiway pavement infrastructure. The final report established the
existing condition of the airside pavement surfaces and also defined and
established required maintenance criteria necessary for continued safe
operations.
The report correlated the relative damage factor to the funding required
for an airside surfaces maintenance program to develop a recommended landing
fee schedule.
The weight-based landing fees are tied directly to the maximum landing
weight of an aircraft and account for the increased damage caused by heavier
aircraft. The analysis further indicated that aircraft weighing less then
10,000 lbs. have a negligible impact on the pavement surfaces and therefore
recommended that such "light" aircraft be exempted from landing
fees.
Based upon the existing fleet mix and operational activity, the anticipated
revenues generated by the revised landing fees will cover the cost of
the pavement maintenance program.
