Burke Lakefront Supporters Meet with FAA Leadership to Oppose Airport Closure Proposal

“We appreciate Associate Administrator Edwards for taking the time to hear our serious concerns about the proposed closure of Burke Lakefront Airport,” said AOPA Great Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis. “Mayor Bibb’s proposal to eliminate this important reliever airport, serving 50,000 flights each year, is both unprecedented and a waste of taxpayer resources.”

“The mayor’s staff and the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation have misled the public and Cleveland City Council for months—and we learned they have also taken their false claims to FAA leadership,” added Lewis. “The mayor’s office has said that other local airports can take on 50,000 more operations each year, that operators at Burke are willing or even excited about moving their operations to other airports, that consolidating much of this traffic at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport would make airspace safer, and that a large number of other public officials support the closure. All of these claims are false and undermine the mayor’s credibility.”

In the meeting, the LAPP emphasized that it is open to compromise and has continually encouraged the city to work with the FAA to develop an Airport Master Plan.

“Developing an Airport Master Plan would not only explore all possible uses for the site but also create a pathway toward making that a reality,” said Lewis. “Much of Burke Lakefront sits on an old landfill and cannot be used for anything other than an airport. The master planning process would not only take those challenges into account, but we believe it would prove what we have said all along—the best outcome for Cleveland is keeping the airport open while exploring the possibility of opening compatible land for new development.”

This week’s meeting comes six days after the Cleveland City Council Transportation and Mobility Committee concluded its fourth hearing on the mayor’s proposed closure of Burke Lakefront, where the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation presented a survey that claimed most residents want the airport to close.

“Cleveland taxpayers should be appalled,” said Lewis. “When you organize a survey and have a clear agenda, it’s easy to make the results paint the picture that you want. Even city council members didn’t seem to buy the survey results, and Cleveland taxpayers shouldn’t either. The corporation and the mayor’s staff have repeatedly misrepresented the statements and positions of others and continue to take any opportunity to twist the truth to fit their own narrative.”

Councilman Charles Slife, who chairs the City Council Transportation & Mobility Committee, invited the LAPP—which includes local businesses, schools, and pilots, in addition to AOPA—to a fifth hearing so council members can hear from airport users and supporters.

“We appreciate Councilman Slife’s invitation to participate in a fifth hearing to set the record straight,” said Lewis. “We look forward to helping Cleveland residents understand how closing Burke Lakefront would do nothing more than hurt the local economy, delay lifesaving care and organ transplants, rob students of lifechanging educational opportunities, and—in the end—waste taxpayer dollars that could be spent creating jobs and inviting needed investment into the city.”