Some months ago, Ashburton District Council released its proposed long term plan – a document which included a new proposed landing fee structure for GA pilots landing at the local airport. On quick reading, it was very clear that the new fees would not be good for pilots.
Over many months, a group of motivated local pilots sprang into action. Led by AOPANZ executive member Neville Bailey, and with a lot of input from AOPANZ’s Advocacy Group as well as users of Ashburton Airport, dozens of hours have been spent doing analysis, writing documents, preparing submissions and meeting with council executives and staff.
“It became clear that we needed to help Council to understand the impact their proposed plans would have on pilots,” said Neville Bailey, a member of the AOPANZ Advocacy Group and himself a frequent use of Ashburton Airport. “We worked hard to bring together all of the required information, and then invested time in meeting the right people at Council.”
Neville said that it wasn’t easy but “we got there in the end”. AOPANZ put a detailed submission together, including an alternative fees solution, and Neville organised multiple local users of the field to present to council. Neville presented the AOPANZ submission in person at the council hearing.
He said that he was both pleased and surprised with the way in which Councillors responded. “Councillors have been brilliant – taking in the information we provided and then re-assessing the district plan. It really goes to show that if you put clear information in front of good people, you can get great results.”
Council is now moving forward with a much more workable landing fee structure. Either a flat annual fee of $200 per aircraft, or per-use fees of $12 per one hour of landings.
The great news is that this fee structure is open to any pilot who wishes to land frequently at Ashburton. It’s great for local users, farmers from around the district needing to fuel up, people undergoing flight training and frequent visitors to Ashburton Airport. The fee is convenient, easy to understand and fair.
Even better is that AOPANZ now has a definitive template to help airport users in other areas submit fees recommendations to their local councils. Neville says that the AOPANZ Advocacy Group is very happy to provide guidance, and will help wherever it can. “We really want to empower local airport users to work closely and proactively with councils, to achieve a workable result for everyone.”
AOPANZ is now going through a similar process with Tasman District Council, and is also compiling a database of landing fees at airports around the country, as well as hangar lease information.
A copy of part of AOPANZ’s submission to Ashburton District Council (Ashburton Airport Fees Proposal) is available here. For further information in relation to your airport and/or council, contact the AOPA executive team.