AOPA continues tug-of-war fight to protect Delano airport
By AOPA ePublishing staff
Nationwide, nearly 9,000 acres of airport property have been released for nonaviation use since 2003, according to the FAA. AOPA is working to stop that number from increasing, one airport at a time.
Currently, AOPA is fighting to prevent 15 acres of airport property at Delano Municipal Airport in California from being released for nonaviation uses. This is the airport's only remaining property that would be immediately available for aviation purposes that wouldn’t require significant development, and it abuts one of the airport's taxiways—a perfect place for hangars.
While the city of Delano continues to push for the release of the property, AOPA is reminding the FAA of its obligation to protect the property. AOPA pointed out to the FAA that property that had earlier been released for nonaviation use has not been developed by the city, so there is no need to release additional parcels. The land at issue is federal surplus property, which means it must be used for aeronautical purposes.
October 18, 2007
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