SALISBURY — The advisory board for Mid-Carolina Regional Airport met Thursday to discuss a new fee schedule.

Changes include slight rate increases for some services and new fees for previously free amenities.

Most pressing was the addition of a handling fee for transient airport customers, covering Mid-Carolina’s costs when servicing an aircraft on the ground.

Board member Randy Baker said the fees are meant to improve the airport’s bottom line.

“If we can become more profitable on our own rather than costing taxpayers money, I think that’s good for everybody,” he said.

The board recommended a $100 handling fee for all turbine aircrafts with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds or more. For smaller aircraft, the handling fee will be $50.

The new schedule will give customers the chance to waive certain fees with fuel purchases of 50 to 100 gallons, depending on the size of their crafts.

Other fees discussed include:

• $100 for call-ins for assistance outside standard hours of operation (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.), waived with a 100-gallon fuel purchase.
• $10 for GPU services to power avionics or $30 per hour of usage. The first hour will be waived with a 100-gallon fuel purchase.
• $15 per day for tie-downs or $60 per month.
• $50 for overnights for jet aircrafts, waived with a 100-gallon fuel purchase.

Kevin Davis, the airport director, said the fee schedule will likely be implemented before the end of the year.

Many board members voiced concern about call-in fees and the price of staffing the airport outside standard operating hours. In the end, the board recommended pursuing the purchase of a robotic tug for each hangar, to be used by tenants.

The purchase would reduce the number of call-ins for tenants and be an attractive amenity for perspective renters, they said.

County Commissioner Craig Pierce said this route serves the county much better than ceasing to offer call-in services.

“With the investment that we’ve made at the airport and our continuing investment, the last thing we need to do is start cutting services,” he said.  “I think we need to take it to the next level.”

Baker, offering insight from the aviation industry, agreed.

“I think we can better serve our base tenants with this approach here,” he said. “We have to accommodate their operation or they can’t stay in business. That’s the way aviation works.”