Naples Airport can’t just say no to American Airlines, which wants to start flights between Naples and Charlotte, North Carolina beginning in December.
The general aviation airport in Naples is legally obligated to negotiate in good faith with American Airlines and any other commercial airline that might want to fly to and from Naples, so say the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Naples Airport Authority (NAA) attorneys.
“While there are both legal and practical impediments to successful negotiations, the NAA’s legal obligations under federal law place a heavy burden on the NAA to attempt to accommodate this carrier,” the airport authority’s aviation attorney Peter Kirsch wrote in a memo to the board.
With that in mind and conversations with American Airlines Director of Domestic Planning Jordan Pack, the NAA Board of Commissioners on Thursday, May 21, gave Executive Director Chris Rozansky the green light to continue negotiating with the airline and looking into what the airport will need to do to accommodate commercial service.
“I’m going along with the consensus to proceed with, because we are required to by what our legal counsel has told us that we must allow American Airlines to fly in here if we can work out the details, which will be forthcoming,” said Commissioner Robert Burns when board Chairman Terry Cavanaugh asked for a consensus.
American Airlines plans to start flying from Naples in December
American Airlines, the world’s largest airline by passengers, sent a letter of intent to the NAA dated May 13 that it wants to start regional flights into and out of Naples starting Dec. 2. On May 21, Pack told the board of commissioners the company is looking to start with two to three daily flights each way.
“We wanted to personally attend to convey and clearly convey American’s desire and intention in restoring traditional commercial service to the Naples Airport,” Pack said. “We’ve actually been considering returning to Naples for quite a while, and we believe that there’s unmet demand by the residents of Naples, and also the visitors to Naples, who would prefer to use a direct airport, closer airport right here in the community. More importantly, though, I’m here to emphasize that American Airlines wants to be a collaborative, long-term, and most importantly, safe partner to the airport and community.”
American Airlines plans to use jets through the company’s American Eagle brand and wholly owned subsidiary PSA Airlines and promised to keep those flights “well outside” the voluntary curfew hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.,” Pack iterated to the board. The FAA doesn’t allow mandatory curfews.
The American Eagle jets – 65-seat Bombardier CRJ‑700 regional jets with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 75,000 pounds – are consistent with the existing fleet mix currently operating at the airport and are within the airport’s established weight limit, Rozansky said.
That checks a lot of boxes for federal regulations. The FAA has a say in most things at airports across the U.S.
“While federal law and FAA regulations do not require that negotiations with a prospective carrier be successful, the legal burden on the NAA is a heavy one: if an airport sponsor has an available facility (as exists at Naples Airport), if the carrier is demonstrably able to pay reasonable lease rates (i.e., if it is financially responsible), and if the carrier does not itself act unreasonably in its lease negotiations, the FAA will expect that lease negotiations will be successful,” Kirsch wrote. “Administrative and judicial remedies are available if a prospective carrier believes that the airport proprietor has not negotiated in good faith Kirsch wrote in a memo to the NAA board.”
The FAA has a history of being aggressive in making sure airports meet that good faith requirement, Kirsch said. They will sue, he said.
The airport authority doesn’t have to offer incentives, which it is not, or add service the airport has no room for, Rozansky said. Airports can legally restrict commercial service if the aircraft exceeds the facility’s physical limits, lacks necessary safety certifications, or fails to meet reasonable, non-discriminatory local operating standards, according to the FAA.
Naples has had commercial service in the past – most recently in 2017, something Rozansky points to as an argument in American Airlines’ favor. Elite Airways ended operations at Naples in 2017 and went out of business in 2022.
Opinions from the community vary
“I am here to urge the board, this board, to take immediate and decisive action to block the introduction of additional commercial carriers, specifically American Airlines, into Naples Airport,” Mary Tatigian said during public comment. “This is not simply a policy disagreement, it is a matter of legal compliance, community health, and basic fairness.”
Tatigian is a registered nurse, a member of the NAA Noise Compatibility Committee and founder of Quiet Florida, a “non-profit organization dedicated to reducing harmful noise.”
“The introduction of American Airlines is not an isolated event. It is part of a predictable pattern. Once one major carrier enters, others follow: Delta, United and more,” she said. “At that point, this airport no longer functions as a municipal airport serving a local community.”
Another speaker, Theresia Griffin, called the idea “absurd.”
Others said they worried that commercial air travel would cause more noise in already crowded airspace around the city.
The airport saw 127,964 take offs and landings – collectively known as operations – in Fiscal Year 2025, up 3.6% over FY24. Naples airport hasn’t seen a decline in operations since FY2020, according to Naples Airport Authority (NAA) documents.
Rozansky said he thinks scheduled commercial service might actually lower the number of charter flights in and out of the airport.
The NAA received about a dozen letters of support for the addition of scheduled commercial service in Naples, Rozansky said, including one from the Greater Naples Chamber.
In its letter Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Kristina Park wrote:
I am writing to express my support for American Airlines’ proposal to restore commercial air service at the Naples Airport through its affiliate PSA Airlines.
Naples Airport is already a significant economic driver in Collier County, generating an estimated $781 million in annual economic impact. The addition of commercial service has the potential to further strengthen that impact by supporting tourism, improving accessibility for business travel and creating additional economic opportunities for our region.
From a tourism standpoint, the addition of commercial service will provide visitors with direct access to all that Naples and Collier County has to offer. It will also provide our residents with direct access to American Airlines’ extensive network, creating greater convenience and connectivity for residents, businesses and visitors. Improved access will strengthen our community’s ability to compete in an already competitive marketplace.
What would commercial service look like?
American Airlines would operate out of one gate at the airport’s North Road Terminal, which was home to past commercial service. It would share the space with scheduled charter service company JSX, Netjets private jet service and rental-car companies.
The terminal, which is undergoing major renovations, will need some “minor modifications” to accommodate commercial service, Rozansky said. The airline will use U.S. Transportation and Safety Administration (TSA) security, which private flying doesn’t require.
Preliminary talks with TSA at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), which would be in charge of the Naples operations, indicate getting equipment and staff in place at the Naples Airport by December wouldn’t be a problem, Rozansky said.
Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines is the third largest U.S. Airline by revenue, behind No. 1 Delta Airlines and No. 2 United Airlines.
“If the airport has the facilities that can accommodate the proposal, it must make it available,” said Commissioner Michelle Arnold. “We cannot deny access to the facility.”
What about other commercial airlines?
The NAA would have to negotiate with any other airlines that want to operate out of Naples, Kirsch told the board via video conferencing.
“The space – that is a natural limiting factor,” Rozansky said. There would only be one gate available for commercial use, so airlines would have to share the space.
“We probably could handle slightly more than three flights a day,” he said.
Rozansky said inquiries from other airlines have been to fly large 737 aircraft, “and we don’t have the capacity to handle.”
But with American Airline’s regional plane request, “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else comes along.”
Survey forthcoming and meetings to be held at airport instead of City Hall
Commissioners asked Rozansky to handle a survey of county and city residents regarding commercial service at the Naples Airport.
Anticipating that, Rozansky already contacted American Pulse Research & Poling, the company that conducted an airport sentiment survey in 2025 and asked what that would look like.
A survey of 12-15 questions will be sent to voters registered in the county and city to get about 500 responses, Rozansky said. The results should be available for the next regular meeting June 18, he said.
The board also decided to hold all meetings going forward at the Naples Airport in its meeting space instead of regular meetings at Naples City Hall.
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J. Kyle Foster is a senior growth & development reporter for The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her by emailing jfoster1@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: FAA rules say Naples Airport can’t just say no to American Airlines
Reporting by J. Kyle Foster, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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