By admin 
MESA (AZFamily) — Flight schools are suing the city of Mesa over new fees pilots have to pay at Falcon Field.
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The city of Mesa has been named in a federal lawsuit filed by two flight schools, CAE Aviation Academy and Thrust Flight Properties, challenging the implementation of landing fees at Falcon Field Airport. The lawsuit seeks to stop the city from implementing and collecting the landing fees.
Mesa’s city council recently approved a new $20 landing fee at Falcon Field, which could raise more than $2.5 million a year to help operate and maintain the airport.
The owner of the flight schools filing suit said the added cost will hit students hard, limit their landings during training and lead to fewer graduates.
The city said the lawsuit lacks legal merit and does not justify delaying the landing fee program. Mesa will be represented by Anderson Kreiger, a national law firm with extensive experience in airport law.
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The city said it will continue to defend the legality and necessity of the landing fees, which are intended to help cover the costs of operating, maintaining and improving Falcon Field Airport and to support the airport’s long-term financial sustainability.
To allow time for these final improvements and the city’s legal response to the lawsuit, the city currently plans to activate the landing fee collection system on July 30 and begin collection of landing data for billing purposes on Aug. 1.
The city noted pilots get 10 free landings a month.
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