Regulations and Government
NATA Urges APHIS To Keep Small Aircraft Fee Exemption
AQI fees set to go in place on small aircraft in June
cabin cargo

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) urged the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to maintain the small aircraft exemption for agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) user fees.

In May 2024, the APHIS issued a final rule that would increase the inspection user fees on commercial aircraft by 50% through fiscal year 2027 to about $340.90 and the per-passenger fee to $4.12 each. It also changed reporting requirements from quarterly to monthly and removed the “small aircraft” exemption, covering those with 64 or fewer seats. When the exemption was put in place 30 years ago, the APHIS explained, AQI inspections were not typically directed at small aircraft. However, the service maintained that U.S. Customs and Border Protection does do such inspections now.

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