Logan-Cache Airport Authority orders staff to draft landing-fee resolution for non‑based corporate aircraft

The Logan-Cache Airport Authority on Tuesday directed staff to draft a resolution to impose landing fees on visiting corporate aircraft weighing 6,000 pounds and above, with a target implementation date of July 1, 2025.

The measure emerged after a presentation by Annie Teixeira, a representative of Vector Flight Services, who laid out landing‑fee scenarios based on aircraft weight and regional comparables. "A landing fee is a great cost recovery mechanism" for operators who do not purchase fuel or otherwise generate revenue, Teixeira told the board. She said Vector already bills most of those operators at other airports and would include Logan charges on the same monthly invoice the company sends today.

The board’s direction matters because heavier business‑aviation arrivals cause greater runway wear and are often transient operators that do not buy fuel on site. Bob Lowe, the airport manager, said Vector modeled two revenue scenarios for 2024 traffic: one excluding based aircraft and one including them. Vector’s estimates (net of a 22% handling fee) showed the airport could have realized roughly $22,000–$30,000 under the modeled scenarios last year, depending on whether based aircraft were exempted.

Board members discussed thresholds and exemptions. Teixeira said her firm has not observed traffic loss at airports that set a minimum at or above 6,000 pounds. "We have yet to find an airport that implements a landing fee above 6,000 pounds, and it's had an impact on traffic," she said. A number of board members favored excluding based aircraft from the initial implementation; staff noted excluding based aircraft would lower estimated annual revenue by roughly $7,000 in Vector’s model.

The board asked staff to draft a specific resolution, including proposed rates, the precise weight tiers, and a public‑comment opportunity before a final vote. The board also asked staff to include a timeline and communication plan; Teixeira described a common rollout that includes 30–60 days of outreach and an invoicing schedule that starts collecting fees one month after operations data begins, with remittances to the airport following Vector’s standard cycle.

The board did not adopt a resolution at the meeting; members provided direction for staff to return with a draft at the next meeting.

What comes next: staff will prepare the draft resolution described above and return to the board for formal consideration; the board signaled a July 1, 2025, earliest effective date for an initial proposal that excludes based aircraft.