Effective ADS-B Fee Ban in Louisiana: A Step Towards Shaping General Aviation Policy
Louisiana’s House Bill 730, endorsed by Governor Jeff Landry, officially came into effect on August 1, 2026. This legislation positions Louisiana among the increasing number of states prohibiting the use of ADS-B surveillance data for charging landing fees to general aviation pilots. The law forbids any entity from utilizing ADS-B data to compute, generate, or collect fees from aircraft operators conducting non-commercial operations under FAR Part 91 in aircraft weighing 12,500 pounds or less. Violations of this law are subject to fines of up to $500 per occurrence.
The bill received unanimous approval from the Louisiana Senate and was decisively passed in the House with a 91-8 vote. Supporters of the bill, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), contend that ADS-B is a safety technology, primarily intended to prevent mid-air collisions. They argue that it should never be exploited as a revenue-generating tool. This sentiment is echoed by both NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, who have testified before Congress to the same effect.
However, aviation advocates caution that a state-by-state patchwork of laws is not a sustainable solution. They are advocating for a national federal policy. The broader debate over the use of ADS-B data continues in Washington, D.C., even as airports defend data-driven fee programs as legitimate operational tools.
Source: General Aviation News – Louisiana Bans ADS-B Fees for Part 91 Pilots