City council dropped landing fees for piston-powered aircraft at the Campbell River airport after receiving letters condemning the proposal from airport users.
“This fee would primarily affect people like me who are using small aircraft for pleasure and/or commuting,” said Richard Davey in a letter contained in the agenda package for the Thursday, April 25 regular council meeting. “It would also affect the flight schools and not just the schools based here. This will deter and drive away any business brought to the airport from flight schools/future aviators travelling here from other parts of the area.”
The fee increase was included in the Airport Operation, Maintenance and Management Amendment Bylaw No. 3953, 2024 which also contained updates to administrative and operational tasks and fees for the City of Campbell River Airport (YBL). A previous report to council on the bylaw contained the fees for piston-powered aircraft but they were removed after recieving letters opposing the fee and following discussion on the item. The revised bylaw received first, second and third readings at council’s April 25 regular meeting.
Bjorn Kjaer also wrote to council. He said he has been flying since 1979 and went on to a career in the RCAF – including flying with the Snowbirds – and in commercial aviation. When he first earned his private pilot licence, it cost $1,900 followed by a commercial licence that cost $13,000 to obtain. To do the same today will cost you anywhere from $120,000 – $190,000, Davey said.
“What I am getting at is that municipalities like yours cannot afford to make pilot training any more expensive than it already is,” Kjaer said.
Pushing through the fees will have two consequences, he said. The first is that pilot training will be reduced due to the additional costs, impacting the number of available pilots in the near future. The reduction in available pilots will mean that smaller regional airlines will then have to choose which municipal airports they will serve. Small airports like YBL “will be the first on the hit list and service will be cancelled due to low profit margins.”
The second impact of the proposed landing fee is that non-YBL-based aircraft will not fly into the Campbell River Airport, resulting in reduced maintenance work be done on aircraft at facilities like Sealand Aviation and ASAP Avionics.
Davey concurred. He said, “Netting more income revenues from general aviation for the airport will not be accomplished by this action. The fee will drive away income for businesses that rely on this airport.”
Jean-Marc Messmer, Chief Pilot for 49 North Helicopters, expressed some concerns about the proposed fee as well. He said while a few airports in B.C. charge landing fees for piston aircraft, “it remains an exception rather than the rule.”
Landing fees will deter pilots and students from choosing Campbell River as their training destination. 49 North’s flight school attracts students from across Canada, Messmer said, and they contribute to local businesses and services.
In addition, Messmer said, “We already pay property taxes and landing fees for turbine aircraft to the city. Introducing an additional fee for piston aircraft would place an undue burden on our operations, especially considering the recent fuel cost increases and carbon tax implications.”
Rather than solely relying on landing fees, 49 North Helicopters encourages the city to collaborate with local entrepreneurs.
“By providing more hangar space and facilitating a mix of services within the airport premises, we can transform our airport into not only a transit point for travelers but also a hub for locals seeking convenience. This approach would generate additional revenue for the city,” Messmer said.
It seems city council heard the complaints and removed the fees from the bylaw. In it’s council meeting summary, the city said that “it is committed to working collaboratively with the general and commercial aviation sectors to support innovation and resilience at YBL.”