FAA Rules Could Affect Sanford Airport
- January 10th 2025
- City CouncilCity News
It may be harder for non-aviation uses of Sanford’s airport to take off.
Photo: City of Sanford
By Renée Morin
During their Jan. 7 meeting, city councilors learned that because of stricter enforcement of existing rules, non-aeronautical uses of the city’s airport have become harder to clear with the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA.
Seacoast Regional Airport Manager Allison Navia explained that because of stipulations included in the deed when the South Sanford property was transferred from the federal government after World War II, other uses require an exemption from the federal government. And in the last few years, the FAA has become much more stringent in how it applies the rules to anything non-aeronautical, she said. This is true even for temporary uses like commercial driver’s license courses held on airport property.
While exemptions can still be secured, Navia said, the process is more time consuming and complicated, so there will probably be fewer of these non-aviation events and uses of the property in the future.
Another requirement of the FAA is that any land that is being used for non-aeronautical purposes must be priced at market value, as opposed to the price offered for individuals renting or leasing the land for aeronautical uses, Navia said. That means that projects on airport property like the solar farm are charged different rates than projects that have to do with aviation. Furthermore, Navia explained that according to regulations, any revenue the airport makes must be used for capital or operating expenses of the airport. This means that if the airport is profitable and the city wants to lower the tax burden on Sanford residents, the city would have to find some way to do it while using the money only for airport purposes.
The Sanford airport was originally developed in the 1930s to serve the area’s mills. The Navy took over and expanded it during the 1940s for World War II training exercises. Its runways are so big that when presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush visited their family home in Kennebunkport, Air Force One often landed there.
