The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is railing against a fee hike at New Jersey's Teterboro Airport, saying the 50% increase for certain aircraft is discriminatory.

The proposed rate increase at the key general aviation airport would affect aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds, said a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but he would not provide further detail.

"The increase is being pitched because we believe there's a significant need for infrastructure improvement. That's what the increase would go towards," a spokesman for the port authority said.

Among improvements slated for the airport is the installation of runway arresting beds. "We're making state-of-the art safety improvements, and there's a cost associated with that," the spokesman said.

But the new rate scheme is disproportionately tougher on lighter aircraft, the GA group said. The new fees would charge a single-engine aircraft, such as a Cessna, about $9 per 1,000 pounds of landed weight, which is about 150% more than the fee for a Boeing 737, AOPA said. The Cessna rate would be about 300% more than the one for a corporate jet, according to the industry group.

"Not only does AOPA vigorously oppose any scheme designed to artificially reduce demand for the airport, but also we believe the smallest segment of Teterboro users should not be penalized" by making it pay "an even larger percentage increase [than] the larger jets -- which clearly impose a much greater operational and facility burden on the airport," said Phil Boyer, AOPA president.

Airport officials should maintain current fee structures for aircraft under 6,000 pounds, a segment that totals less than 2% of the airport's annual operations, AOPA said.

Aviation officials say they will discuss the issue with airport stakeholders, with the final increase going into effect in January.