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Acceptable landing fees?

Based on the Nuremberg thread and the discussion on airport service levels, I’m wondering:

What do you find an acceptable landing fee for GA? To make this a bit more specific, let’s assume an SEP 1250kg MTOW for an overnight stay.

Personally, anything up to 20 EUR for a smallish GA field without any additional services okay. For a proper airport with amenities (opening hours, transport connections, long hard runway is what I’d be looking at) I’m happy to pay anything two digit. I’ll probably be happy to pay up to 150 if the trip is worth it. Anything beyond that, I would feel ripped off. And when I see waste disposal fees on my invoice, I feel ripped off regardless of the amount.

Hungriger Wolf (EDHF), Germany

I tend to think it’s not the landing fee that’s the killer its the handling.

For example EGNX (east Midlands) 38 quid for a Cessna 150 in landing fee.

Handling a 100 quid with upto 250 pounds supplement if out of hours.

The 38 quid I can stomach the handling fee I can’t.

Personally, I am prepared to pay up to €15-20 at a VFR airfield and up to €30-35 at an IFR one. I guess we are spoiled rotten here in the Czech Republic. For example, at my home base, LKBU Bubovice, it’s €2 per landing and €2 per day of parking for any a/c up to 2500 kg, and at LKVO Vodochody, a full-fledged IFR airport with ILS, it’s €6 per tonne per landing between 0500 and 2100 UTC (or €24 outside that period) and €0.11 per tonne per day of parking on grass (or €0.25 on the apron). Both places are within a local bus ride from Prague.

LKBU (near Prague), Czech Republic

Based on my plane (AA5B, MTOW 1089kg) I feel happy for anything below 10€ for small airfields. Between 10-15€ I accept for bigger airfields with paved runway. Anything above 15€ for an uncontrolled airfield I try to avoid as much as possible. I support the locals by visiting their restaurants ( well-known 100€ Burger). Outside germany on a longer trip anything up to 50€ would be ok because it will be a one time event most probably.

Last Edited by Tigerflyer at 15 Feb 18:04
EDWF, Germany

I find that a very hard question to answer, as I think it totally depends on reason for the flight.

For example, if I’m just going for a Sunday bimble, I usually throw in a few circuits as well. If the circuits are going to cost €15 each, then that’s a bit steep and I might choose somewhere else.

But I wouldn’t think twice about a €15-20 landing fee for somewhere that I wanted to go.

For part of a big trip, where I’m likely to land once and probably never again, or certainly not for a few years, then up to €50 is probably ok. But likely, I wouldn’t expect the locals would be too happy dropping in there for a weekend outing!

When it starts to get north of €50 then it’s worth thinking about. Is this the right place? Is there a better option? Often, for a specific trip it is the right option.
Last year I think I ended up paying something like €120 for Hamburg. But it was worth it as any saving by going elsewhere was going to end up being spent on ground transport. The time saving is harder to account for, but it was very much in Hamburg’s favour.

But if I lived near Hamburg, then I’d have little reason to go to EDDH, and I don’t think I’d be doing it on a regular basis!

So it all depends on your reason for going there. If you have none other than being somewhere to break up a weekend bimble, then you don’t want to pay too much. But if you have a reason for that airport specifically then the acceptable fee level rises quickly.

EIWT Weston, Ireland

I once calculated that we did not need to bill any landing fee if only we got rid of the Flugleitet and a Credit Card operated Fuel station instead… But then again our grass airfield isn’t maintained through landing fees anyway.

I would rather be satisfied with a european infrastructure fee that is distributed among the airfields instead of landing fees. I would then make a point about flying an additional circuit or two for proficiency reasons.

As for the question… it depends a bit on the service provided and the service needed. An airfield has either to be operated out of enthusiasm (aero club fields) or commercially. And the fees usually are based on that.

I personally do not need what bigger airports have to offer, unless for arrivals after Sunset. I am always looking out for the smaller fields nearby that are more romantic and often more pragmatic. And then I pay what they want, or more, if I think that’s not enough. (Mostly there is some flying youth group among the glider pilots who are happy about every donation :-) )

Last Edited by mh at 15 Feb 18:38
mh
Aufwind GmbH
EKPB, Germany

I can’t understand why anyone with sufficient intelligence as to enable them to secure a pilot’s licence would have any problem at all understanding why even the smallest airfield should charge at least 10 Euros for grass and at least 17 for Tarmac. If you want airfields to fly to in the first place you have to do your bit to ensure that they remain financially viable
I would only start to consider alternatives once the landing fee exceeds 30 Euros (inc).

Forever learning
EGTB

dublinpilot wrote:

But if I lived near Hamburg, then I’d have little reason to go to EDDH, and I don’t think I’d be doing it on a regular basis!

I actually use EDDL quite a lot, although I live right in Düsseldorf. That’s because I sometimes go and pick up the rental airplane at wherever it’s based (usually a 30-90 minute drive and my car only fits one passenger) and take it to EDDL to pick up friends who come along. I spend 70 EUR extra (might share that with the group) and I get:

  • The fun experience of operating at EDDL
  • The chance to refamiliarize myself with the aircraft, if I haven’t flown it for some time, before I take passengers
  • Happy passengers for the experience of flying out of EDDL in a small plane AND near perfect convenience with a nice GA terminal and cold drinks for them and myself.
Hungriger Wolf (EDHF), Germany

My view:

  • £30 OK for regular flights
  • £50 OK for occassional flights, say 3 times a year
  • £80 OK for very occassional flights, say once a year
  • £150 OK for special places which I won’t visit again, or forced into by bad wx

If an airport manager is reading this, he ought to be aware that the last 3 will wipe out most of his traffic

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

or forced into by bad wx

I thought that calls for 0£ fees… no need to give any incentive to fly into bad wx the pilot could propably not handle.

Isn’t there even a rule about it? Strasser scheme or something like that?

mh
Aufwind GmbH
EKPB, Germany
17 Posts
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