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AOPA urges Detroit to protect downtown airport

With major sporting events — baseball's All-Star Game and the Superbowl — coming to Detroit in the next year, the value of a GA airport within a 10-minute drive of the stadium should be obvious. But not everyone sees it that way.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has proposed cutting city funding for Coleman A. Young Airport (DET) by nearly 80 percent. The mayor's budget proposal also calls for cutting staffing from 23 positions to only five.

In a letter sent to the Detroit City Council this week, AOPA pointed out that the airport is a vital gateway to downtown, bringing economic benefit to the entire city.

"We are certain that you would not consider restricting the utility of the Interstate Highway 94 off-ramps to your city," wrote Bill Dunn, AOPA vice president of airports. "The airport is also an off-ramp to your city."

The airport is home to 169 based aircraft and hosts more than 83,000 operations each year.

May 5, 2005