Two flight schools are suing Mesa in federal court over the city’s implementation of landing fees at Falcon Field airport.
The suit — filed by Thrust Flight and CAE Aviation — claims Mesa acted illegally to implement the fees, but the city said the lawsuit lacks merit.
Patrick Arnzen is the CEO of Thrust Flight. He said the fees could set a dangerous precedent.
“That ultimately hurts everyone in the country, that hurts the students that want to learn how to fly, that hurts the flying public, it hurts all of the businesses that are supported by these airports,” Arnzen said.
Arnzen said his business is being penalized for the noise issue, an issue the city has repeatedly denied as a motivating factor behind the implementation of the fees.
“I'll go on record to say that I don't think it's appropriate to collect landing fees in these sorts of situations to mitigate noise issues,” Arnzen said. “If we want to talk about mitigating noise, that's a conversation that we should have with the local communities and in the airport.”
On March 23, the Mesa City Council voted unanimously to adopt the landing fees.
The fees were scheduled to take effect May 1, but the program has been delayed at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is currently investigating the city’s intention for the fees.
In a statement, the city said the fees are now scheduled to take effect on July 30.
“We've tried to have discussions with the airport, with the mayor to help address some of these concerns that these local communities have, but to date, that has not proven fruitful,” Arnzen said.
On June 16, Mesa filed a motion to dismiss the suit.
The city declined to comment on pending litigation.
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Court records show the judge in the case has denied the schools’ request for a preliminary injunction, saying they failed to prove the fees would cause them irreparable harm. -
The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board has changed its policy regarding public comments at meetings. The move came after the Goldwater Institute raised First Amendment concerns. -
Under Arizona law, it is a misdemeanor to knowingly remove, alter, deface or cover political signs unless you’re an authorized representative for the campaign, private property owner or government. -
Police are continuing to investigate the death of a man with developmental disabilities who was found inside a vehicle parked outside a Mesa adult care facility. -
The Mesa Police Department confirmed 36-year-old Lorenzo Lopez was found inside a vehicle on Thursday at ITC Personal In-Home Care facility, which also goes by the name Pathways for Life.
