2152 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 896

Commission is authorized to provide for the licensing of
airports and the annual renewal of such licenses. It may
charge license fees not exceeding $25.00 for each original
license, and not exceeding $10.00 for each renewal thereof.
Upon the promulgation of a rule or regulation providing for
such licensing, the Commission shall with reasonable dis-
patch, upon receipt of an application for an original license
and the payment of the duly required fee therefor, issue an
appropriate license if it is satisfied that the airport con-
forms to minimum standards of safety, which shall not be
more rigid than those recommended by the Civil Aeronau-
tics Administration for comparable airports, and that safe
air traffic, patterns can be worked out for such airport and
for all existing airports and approved airport sites in its
vicinity. All licenses shall be renewable annually upon
payment of the fees prescribed. Licenses and renewals
thereof may be issued subject to any reasonable conditions
that the Commission may deem necessary to effectuate the
purposes of this Section. The Commission may, after no-
tice and opportunity for hearing to the licensee, revoke
any license or renewal thereof, or refuse to issue a renewal,
when it shall reasonably determine (1) that there has been
an abandonment of the airport as such, or (2) that there
has been a failure to comply with the conditions of the
license or renewal thereof, or (3) that because of change
of physical or legal conditions or circumstances the airport
has become either unsafe or unusable for the aeronautical
purposes for which the license or renewal was issued. It
shall be unlawful for any municipality, or officer or em-
ployee thereof, or any person to operate an airport without
an appropriate license for such, as may be duly required
by rule or regulation issued pursuant to this subsection.

(c) (Public Hearings.) In connection with the grant
of approval of a proposed airport site or the issuance of an
airport license under subsections (a) and (b) of this Sec-
tion, the Commission may, on its on motion or shall upon
request, hold a hearing open to the public as provided in
Section 97.

(d) (Exemptions.) The provisions of this Section
shall not apply to airports owner or operated by the United
States. The Commission shall, from time to time, to the
extent necessary, exempt any other class of airports, pur-
suant to a reasonable classification or grouping, from any
rule or regulation promulgated under this Section or from
any requirement of such a rule or regulation, if the appli-
cation of such rule, regulation or requirement would be an