Regulations and Government
Genav Groups Pan Obama’s Aviation User-fee Proposal

As expected, President Obama’s budget for Fiscal Year 2014, released yesterday, includes a proposed aviation user fee–just as previous budgets have since 2007 when the Bush Administration first floated the idea. A passage on page 43 of the budget reads, “To reduce the deficit and more equitably share the cost of air traffic services across the aviation user community, the budget proposes to create a $100-per-flight fee, payable to the FAA, by aviation operators who fly in controlled [U.S.] airspace.” Piston, military, public and air ambulance aircraft, as well as Canada-to-Canada flights, would be exempt.