An FBO, or fixed-base operator, is the business at an airport that sells fuel and services to the people who fly in. The FAA defines it as a commercial business granted the right by the airport sponsor to operate on an airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance and flight instruction.
That definition comes from the FAA's current advisory circular on minimum standards, AC 150/5190-8, dated 7 December 2023. This page covers what an FBO does, how its fees work, what AOPA has reported pilots paying, and where the FAA says its own role stops.
Key Takeaways
An FBO generally leases space from the airport sponsor, the owner or operator of the airport. A sponsor may also keep the FBO role for itself.
FBOs may sell fuel and charge separately for parking, handling, hangaring and other services. Some also rent aircraft, teach or do repairs.
Ramp and handling fees vary by FBO. AOPA reports that some charges may be waived with a fuel purchase, and it describes higher fees for small turbine singles and extra charges over holidays and during big events.
The FAA says the Federal government doesn't regulate FBO pricing. At federally obligated airports it holds sponsors responsible for ensuring FBO services and prices are reasonable and not unjustly discriminatory.
What an FBO Does
The FAA's list is short: fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance and flight instruction. Which of those a particular FBO offers is up to the FBO and its lease. At a typical general aviation airport the core is fuel and a place to park.
AirNav, the free airport directory pilots use, shows how that looks in practice. On its page for Republic Airport (KFRG), the FBO entries show the fuel types sold (100LL and Jet A), a brand or independent label, a service-level code such as full service, fuel prices with the date they were posted, and for one FBO a radio frequency.
What an FBO can offer, and what to ask
Service
What it covers
Worth asking before you land
Fuel
Aviation gasoline (100LL) for piston aircraft and Jet A for turbines, full service or self-service pumps.
Which fuels, the current price, and whether a handling fee is waived with a purchase.
Parking
Ramp tie-down, transient parking and overnight storage.
The overnight fee, and whether it depends on aircraft size or weight.
Hangar space
Short-term or long-term hangaring.
Availability, rates and whether the FBO will tow you in.
Line service
Marshalling, towing, and loading and unloading.
Whether the service is included or billed.
Passenger services
Pilot lounge, flight planning room, rental car or courtesy car.
Whether a crew car is offered and what it costs.
Other business
Aircraft rental, flight instruction, maintenance and charter, at some FBOs.
What the FBO does itself and what it only hosts.
FBO or Specialized Operator
The FAA draws a line between a full-service FBO and a specialized aviation service operation, or SASO. A SASO is sometimes called a single-service provider or a special FBO. It typically offers one specialized service, such as aircraft sales, flight training, maintenance or avionics. The circular's examples of specialized services also include flying clubs, charter, air taxi and air ambulance work.
The FAA adds that an airport shouldn't, without adequate justification, require a company that wants to provide one service to meet the standards of a full-service FBO. It also says sponsors generally don't allow fuel sales alone as a SASO, and usually require fuel to be bundled with other services.
Where the Name Comes From
Aviation management texts, as summarized on Wikipedia, tie the term to the years after the First World War, when barnstormers flew from field to field and the mechanics and instructors moved with them. The Air Commerce Act of 1926 brought pilot licensing, maintenance requirements and training standards, and pilots and mechanics then set up permanent businesses at airports. The label "fixed-base operations" separated them from the transient ones.
Who Runs the Show
The FAA describes the usual arrangement as a landlord and tenant relationship governed by a lease. The sponsor decides who may operate, often through a competitive bid process, and may establish minimum standards for commercial services. The FAA highly recommends them but doesn't approve them. They have to be reasonable, and using them to protect an exclusive business may be treated as granting an exclusive right.
Who is who. A sponsor generally acts as the FBO's landlord. At federally obligated airports the FAA holds it to its grant obligations, and the FAA says it doesn't regulate FBO prices.
At a federally obligated airport, the rules behind that are the sponsor's grant assurances. Assurance 22 requires the sponsor to make the airport available on reasonable terms without unjust discrimination, and its contracts with FBOs must require reasonable, not unjustly discriminatory prices. Assurance 23 bars exclusive rights.
A single FBO at an airport doesn't by itself mean an exclusive right has been granted. The FAA says there can be many reasons for it, including space limits and market demand, and a sponsor may reserve the FBO role to itself, using its own employees, which the FAA calls a proprietary exclusive right.
What an FBO Costs
AOPA's February 2025 report says FBOs often charge for parking, tie-downs, handling, security and facilities, and some of those may be waived with a fuel purchase. AOPA also describes premiums for small turbine singles compared with pistons, and extra charges over holiday weekends and during large events.
What AOPA has reported about FBO charges
Charge
What AOPA reports
Handling or ramp fee
Signature Aviation set its handling fee for a single-engine piston at no more than $30, waived with 10 gallons of 100LL, and $60 for a piston twin, waived with 30 gallons. The change covers its U.S. network except 16 FBOs, mostly at large international airports (AOPA, October 2024).
Infrastructure fee
The same article says an average $8 infrastructure fee still applies to piston aircraft and can't be waived. Fees the airport itself imposes, such as landing fees, are separate.
Turbine premium
A member who flies a Piper M600 recalled a $419 ramp fee for his turboprop when the piston fee was $45 (AOPA, February 2025).
Holiday and event fees
A TBM pilot recalled a $598 charge at Aspen over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. He said the FBO also charged a $25 habitat fee and a $150 security fee, and waived a $365 ramp fee with his fuel purchase (AOPA, February 2025).
Self-service fuel
Signature said it would add self-service 100LL pumps, which AOPA reported average $1 a gallon below full-service pricing (October 2024).
These are examples from one trade group's reporting and members' recollections, not a price list. Charges differ by FBO and change over time, and the figures above are from 2024 and 2025.
What the FAA Does and Doesn't Do
The FAA's December 2017 Q&As on FBO pricing are direct about it: the Federal government doesn't regulate the pricing of FBOs. The FAA also says it doesn't approve airport leases with FBOs, or regulate their market entry, business models, rates and charges schedules or mergers.
What it does is hold the airport sponsor to its obligations. A sponsor can require service levels and pricing policies in its lease, review FBO fee schedules periodically, add a second FBO, or provide an alternative transient ramp at a reasonable price. The Q&As also say a sponsor's own fees, rates and charges should be disclosed and made publicly available.
If you think a charge is unreasonable, the FAA's advice is to raise it locally with the FBO first, then with the airport sponsor. An FAA airport district office may be able to help the parties reach a resolution. The Q&As describe informal complaints under 14 CFR Part 13 and formal complaints under Part 16. AOPA asks members who see fees they consider excessive to report them.
Before You Land
Look the FBO up. AOPA points pilots to its Airport Directory and iFlightPlanner for fuel prices and fees from FBOs that report them. AirNav shows the date each fuel price was posted.
Ask about the waiver. If a handling or ramp fee is waived with fuel, ask for the minimum purchase and whether it applies to your aircraft type.
Ask about the calendar. AOPA describes pilots meeting unexpected charges over holiday weekends and during big events.
Know the radio. At an airport without a tower, the AIM says a UNICOM station, if there's one, is a nongovernment air/ground radio station that may provide airport information, and its frequency is published in aeronautical publications. See our guide to aviation radio communication.
The FAA draws a distinction that matters to owners. A self-service fuel pump provided by the airport or an FBO is a commercial activity. Self-fueling means the aircraft owner fueling or servicing their own aircraft with their own employees and equipment, and the FAA doesn't treat that as commercial. An owner can't contract self-fueling out to another party.
How Many FBOs Are There
An older count exists. Wikipedia, citing the National Air Transportation Association's 2009 fact book, reports a survey count of 3,138 U.S. businesses meeting minimum FBO criteria in April 2009, down from 3,346 in the 2006 survey. We found no more recent count, so treat that as dated.
The FAA defines it as a commercial business granted the right by the airport sponsor to operate on an airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance and flight instruction.
Who owns an FBO?
An FBO is a commercial business that generally leases space from the airport sponsor, which the FAA describes as a landlord and tenant relationship. A sponsor may also reserve the FBO role to itself, using its own employees, which the FAA calls a proprietary exclusive right.
Does an FBO charge to park a plane?
Many do, through ramp, parking, tie-down or handling fees. AOPA reports that some of these may be waived with a fuel purchase, so ask for the minimum before you land.
Who sets FBO prices?
The FBO sets them. The FAA says the Federal government doesn't regulate FBO pricing, but at federally obligated airports the sponsor is responsible for ensuring FBO prices are reasonable and not unjustly discriminatory under its grant assurances.
What's the difference between an FBO and a SASO?
A full-service FBO offers several services such as fuel, parking and maintenance. A specialized aviation service operation, or SASO, typically offers one, such as flight training, aircraft sales or avionics work.
What can I do about an FBO fee that seems too high?
The FAA advises raising it with the FBO first and then with the airport sponsor. An FAA airport district office may help. The FAA describes informal complaints under 14 CFR Part 13 and formal complaints under Part 16.
Is an airport always run by one FBO?
No. Some airports have more than one, and the FAA says a single FBO doesn't by itself mean the sponsor granted an exclusive right.
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