I wonder exactly why this MD83 owned the airport that money.
Was it because it departed without paying, or was it because the airport failed to invoice it and the error was discovered a year or two later in an audit, and then they were not able to collect the money because the aeroplane changed hands, etc?
Given how utterly disorganised airports are, nothing would suprise me. At many of them, a fax machine represents the pinnacle of technology. I often fly to a certain airport (a big 24H one) and at least 75% of their invoices are for the wrong amount (say 50% out). But at least I now get them, having explained to the lady in Accounts (who is based at a different airport, and my billing details were left but never reached her) how to use google.com (put in the tail number) and g-info; she was most grateful for this because I must have transformed her debt collection task
That debt collection task was at least 90% self inflicted though.
IMHO nobody short of a total conman would depart knowingly without paying because everybody in aviation knows they are going to get traced, and basically you won't be able to fly to that airport again. Renters sometimes do it, especially at foreign airports, but there aren't many MD83s for self fly hire
Airports are the most appalling examples of incompetent business management I see - dwarfing anything one comes across in industry.