MESA, AZ — Mesa city leaders are considering adding a landing fee for aircraft as well as hiking up some other fees, a move that is sparking backlash from flight schools and applause from nearby neighbors.
For years, neighbors near the Falcon Field Airport have complained about the noise from the number of planes flying over their homes.
While Wendy Wise told ABC15 she knew she moved next to an airport more than two decades ago, she said the number of planes flying has increased.
“The last two to three years, it has grown exponentially,” Wise said.
According to numbers from the City of Mesa, in 2025, the airport had around 475,000 operations which includes planes taking off and landing. In 2024, that number was more than 424,000. In 2023, it was nearly 349,000 operations.
Wise has been concerned with the number of flights as the area has seen multiple crashes. In November of 2025, ABC15 spoke with Wise when a plane crashed near the backyard and canal of a neighbor. In December of 2024, another plane had crashed right near Falcon Field. Those two incidents had no injuries. However, in November of 2024, a plane crashed near the airport, killing five people.
While these complaints about crashes and noise have been around for years, the City of Mesa is currently considering adding a $20 landing fee, among other fee increases, for those at Falcon Field.
A city spokesperson told ABC15 it doesn’t have to do with the complaints, but is for budget reasons.
"The City of Mesa is proposing landing fees to cover the projected $2.6 million in annual airfield cost center expenses, ensuring the airport remains a financially self-sufficient community asset for years to come,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The landing fees are something flight schools are pushing back on. Originally, the fee was proposed at $30 but has since come down to $20.
Curtis Brunjes, an aviation expert who helps several flight schools out of Falcon Field, said the proposed fees are ‘unprecedented.’
“There’s a very large flight school at Falcon and it’s in the millions of dollars a year which is substantial enough. These businesses aren’t that big, that cannot be absorbed,” Brunjes said.
If a fee were to go into effect, Brunjes believes flight schools will leave. According to a city presentation, the city is estimating 10% of their flight schools would leave, however, Brunjes thinks it could be more.
“If they adopt [the fee], and it is imposed, the immediate reactions of the flight schools would be to go do practice take off and landings elsewhere which has very, very grave air space implications,” Brunjes said. “The air space here is quite busy. There’s a delicate balance of it and to push all of the touch and goes to other airfields would be very challenging."
Brunjes understands the complaints of noise and the neighbors wanting to have a quiet area. He says there are things that can be done to help mitigate it.
“As someone in the business, we have not yet approached in any kind of constructive fashion to look at means of mitigation of the noise. I think that’s something that needs to be done before we take more dramatic action,” he said.
However, Wise believes otherwise. She thinks the flight schools should be paying more than the proposed fee amount.
“I think it's something that we need to do to be fiscally responsible as a city so that they can utilize funds in other ways so they can help the citizens of Mesa,” she said.
City Council is scheduled to vote on March 23. For a look at all the other proposed fees and increases, you can find that information on the city’s website here.
