Friday, April 20, 2001
Friday, April 20, 2001 |
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Nonprofit groups get break at airport
By JOHN
MUNFORD The Airport Authority has given itself some discretion to waive airport access fees to nonprofit groups. Normally, the authority charges airport access fees, also called through-the-fence fees, to all entities using Falcon Field. The change will allow the authority to grant fee waivers to nonprofit groups only, said Airport Manager Jim Savage. The move was spurred by a request from the Dixie Wing of the Confederate Air Force, which plans to build a hangar in the business park at the airport, Savage said. Dixie Wing hosts the annual air show at Falcon Field, which is the largest annual event held at the airport. The authority also decided to consider its commercial airport access fees at a meeting that was scheduled for yesterday. The authority has been criticized for keeping those commercial fees too high, thereby limiting the viability of commercial operations to locate there. The commercial fees are structured so that the authority takes a flat fee based on square footage and an additional fee calculated on the business' gross profit. Business owners near the airport have petitioned the authority to dump the profit-related fees to encourage more businesses to locate there and enhance the bottom line of businesses currently operating at Falcon Field.
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