Owners can draw rents from flight schools, airport brokerages, and cargo companies that set up onsite, and as with commercial airports, landing and parking fees are levied on planes. The rec room and waiting area also incur charges.

Small private airports, often referred to as General Aviation (GA) airports, generate revenue through a diverse mix of aviation and non-aviation services. The primary source of income is usually fuel sales and flowage fees; the airport often acts as the exclusive provider of Avgas and Jet A fuel or charges a fee for every gallon delivered by a third party. Additionally, they charge hangar and tie-down fees for aircraft storage, which provides a steady monthly "rental" income. Other aviation-related streams include landing fees (though these are often waived for smaller piston planes), ramp fees, and leasing land to Flight Base Operators (FBOs) who provide maintenance and flight training. In 2026, many small airports have also diversified into non-aviation land use, leasing perimeter property for industrial warehouses, solar farms, or even cell towers to supplement their income. While many small airports are subsidized by local municipalities or federal grants (like the FAA's AIP program) for their economic value to the community, the successful ones operate as complex real estate businesses that leverage their unique "runway-adjacent" land to remain financially viable.