Kissimmee is drawing fire from pilots, students and aviation experts over plans to raise revenue for the airport by charging a fee to land planes there — something that has been free since it opened in 1940.

Kissimmee Gateway Airport would charge $3 per 1,000 pounds of aircraft weight for each landing by a transient plane — one not based at the facility. The fee is projected to generate $400,000 to $500,000 in revenue annually based on airport landings in 2023.

Despite pushback from more than a dozen people during public comment Sept. 17, city commissioners unanimously adopted the ordinance to assess a fee. However, they delayed implementation and will hold another public hearing Oct. 1.

Opponents argue it sets a dangerous precedent across the state that could lead to safety issues and decrease traffic at the airport.

Pilot Johnny Baize told commissioners the fee might push pilots to use airports which, unlike Kissimmee, don’t have control towers — a factor that contributed to the crash that killed his son.

“You have a mandatory touch-and-go three landings in order to maintain your license and so each time you come and land it’s going to cost you money,” Baize said. “For example, my brother crashed his plane and killed my youngest son two years ago this past March, so if you start putting fees on landings and takeoffs and practice in order to stay current … what’s going to happen is they’re going to go to an uncontrolled airspace and there’s going to be an incident and it’s going to become a problem.”

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David Mead, a pilot based in Kissimmee, said the airport is one of the few in the region with a control tower and pilots are required to practice landing a minimum of 10 times at airports with towers. He said people who rent private airplanes from Winter Haven or Apopka will no longer want to come to Kissimmee because of the added cost.

But Commissioner Angela Eady likened the fee to paying to drive on a toll road.

“What is the difference in being charged a landing fee, and if you drive a car, and you utilize the 408, the 417, the 429, the Turnpike, you gotta pay to use that road too?” Eady asked.

Airport Director Shaun Germolus told commissioners that as a general aviation facility without commercial service, Kissimmee airport has limited options for raising revenue. He said the fee would go primarily toward replenishing general reserves. Ten years ago the airport had over $1 million in reserves but in 2024 that amount is just over $100,000.

“That fund has been used year after year for (cost) overruns and for our local participation (in grants),” Germolus said.

He said airport revenue hasn’t kept pace with inflation. Over the last 25 years the airport has received the same $150,000 annually in federal funding, he said. The fee would allow it to take on new endeavors — like adding a customs and border protection checkpoint.

The airport does sometimes get additional help from the federal government. The city announced Sept. 18 it’s getting a $10 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for rehabilitating about 3,200 linear feet of taxiway.

“We’re not always guaranteed a federal or state grant and again they’re only used for capital expenses, not for our daily expenses,” Germolus said.

He said the airport will use a third-party vendor, Vector Airport Systems, to monitor and collect fees — taking a 15% cut over three years. A vendor is the most efficient way to collect it, he said.

Stacey Heaton, regional manager with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, sent the city a letter opposing the fee. AOPA is a national nonprofit trade group.

Heaton argued the fee would exacerbate the commercial airline pilot shortage by making it costlier to learn how to fly. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, retirements and career changes for commercial airline pilots contribute to the 18,500 job openings this year.

“Some of these students are scraping together their last dollars to enter into this industry and you’re adding another barrier to entry,” she said.

Some airports across the state have landing fees while others are considering them.

Nearby in DeLand, city commissioners rejected 3-2 at their Sept. 4 meeting a landing fee at the airport. Airport Manager John Eiff said by email the fee is still under consideration.

Tallahassee International Airport charges planes larger than 6,000 pounds $4.54 per 1,000 pounds. Lee County Port Authority Page Field Airport’s fees for commercial aircraft are $5-$8. Flight instructors with an agreement pay a monthly fee of up to $50 but only on the final landing of a multilanding session. Kissimmee does not have such stipulations.

Palm Beach has four airports but the three general aviation facilities — like the one in Kissimmee — don’t charge a fee.