Navigating the New Cost of Business: Airport Fees

We're introducing a new fees system and are moving away from flat rates for existing fees like parking fees to a dynamic model. Fees are now calculated based on airport size, your aircraft's weight (MTOW), and the services you use.

This overhaul affects everything from parking to passenger handling, with costs varying significantly between large international hubs, small local airfields, and heliports.

Size-Based Parking & Grace Periods

Parking fees have been updated to use this new system. You'll find that parking at a Large airport is more expensive per hour but includes a 3-hour grace period (up from 20 minutes). In contrast, Small airports and Heliports offer much cheaper rates and a more generous 4-hour grace period, making them more economical for longer layovers.

Passenger Fees: Departure & Arrival

We're introducing a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), a per-passenger fee applied whenever passengers board or disembark an aircraft. Note that PFCs are only charged when passengers actually leave the aircraft. If they remain on the aircraft between job legs (or during a stopover) then they are not charged.

Airport Fees: Landing, ATC & Customs

When you land, several fees are applied based on the airport and job type. Landing, ATC, and Customs fees are all bundled as deductions from your final job payout, alongside the Arrival PFC.

• Landing Fee: A per-tonne fee based on your aircraft's MTOW. This is only charged for charter jobs as the landing arrangements are included as part of your slot agreements.
• ATC Fee: A flat fee for air traffic control services, which applies to all flights (including routes).
• Customs & Immigration Fee: This is a per-passenger fee charged only on international flights when passengers clear customs at their final destination. If a passenger is disembarking your aircraft to wait in the terminal for a connecting flight they remain in the transit area and do not clear immigration.

Because of these fees, unscheduled stopovers now have a cost. When you perform an unscheduled landing at an airport that is not your destination you will be immediately charged for Landing and ATC fees. Crucially, landing fees are charged for stopovers on route jobs as you do not have a prior agreement with the airport to land. Passenger and customs fees are not applied, as passengers are not leaving the aircraft.

Other improvements

• All new airport fees are now correctly included in your monthly profit and loss statements under the new Airport Fees category.
• Fixed an issue where signing slot agreements for international routes at medium-sized airports would sometimes fail.