Manistee County/Blacker Airport to Impose GA Landing Fees Starting Oct. 1
Why It MattersThe move reflects a wider push by smaller GA airports to shift operating costs onto visiting traffic, a trend that could draw pushback from pilot advocacy groups nationwide.
Manistee County/Blacker Airport in northern Michigan will begin charging visiting general aviation aircraft new landing fees on Oct. 1, following approval by the Manistee Blacker Airport Authority on Aug. 17. Under the airport's FY2027 rates and charges schedule, aircraft under 6,000 pounds will pay $10 per landing, rising through $30, $75, $110 and $150 tiers to $200 for aircraft at 75,000 pounds. Fees are scheduled to increase annually through fiscal year 2031, subject to Airport Authority approval.
Based aircraft, military and government aircraft, Angel Flight, medevac operations, and touch-and-goes are exempt, and purchasing fuel does not eliminate the fee. FBO operator Orchard Beach Aviation will collect the charges from applicable aircraft parking on the apron with pilots exiting, as well as aircraft receiving FBO services.
Airport Director Miles Weaver said staff reviewed the airport's operating budget and rates at comparable airports while developing the schedule, while Airport Authority Chair Dyllan Walker said local investment in the airport has increased in recent years and argued all stakeholders must share in that investment.
AOPA has requested that the authority postpone the new charges while it provides additional information about how the fees were calculated, noting that Manistee recorded 3,749 operations in 2025, consisting primarily of GA traffic, and questioning whether the fees are supported by an appropriate allocation of airport costs. As of Thursday, AOPA said it was still awaiting a response to its request.
