Rumours were sparked that the £6 charge would be levied for residents and holidaymakers to watch the four-day airshow from a special fenced-off enclosure on the seafront.
However, Eastbourne Borough Council says the £6 charge relates solely to the bandstand area – which has always charged a premium for people to watch the planes.
The price of admittance to the new roped-off area is still being thrashed out and is due to be decided at the next council cabinet meeting on May 28.
The extent of the enclosure is also still being discussed, with feedback about health and safety issues from the police, paramedics and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
The LibDems decided to make Airbourne pay its way this year and is hoping to swell council coffers by at least £183,000.
Council finance spokesman Neil Stanley said the feedback from the SIMALTO exercise – where a cross-section of members of the public had been asked their views about how to spend and save council cash – had been overwhelmingly positive in favour of charging for Airbourne.
The airshow had previously prided itself on being free, but EBC hopes the extra cash generated will help ease financial worries in the wake of a small grant from the government and other pressures.