LAPP, AOPA Welcome Senators’ Opposition to Closing Burke Lakefront Airport

“It would be patently absurd for a politician to override the experts at the FAA to say, ‘We know better than you do,’” Moreno told News 5 Cleveland during a joint interview with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “In the business world, we have the expression, ‘Don’t talk about things that are never going to happen.’”

“We need to talk about how to reopen new facilities, not how do we close existing valuable real estate,” Bedford said in the interview.

“At this time, Senator Husted believes any change to Burke Lakefront should go through the traditional process so the FAA can properly assess any plans for the property’s future,” Husted’s office said in a statement.

AOPA is a founding member of the LAPP—a coalition of local businesses, pilots, and schools opposing Mayor Justin Bibb’s efforts to close Burke Lakefront.

“We appreciate Senators Moreno and Husted recognizing the value of Burke Lakefront and its importance to our national airspace system,” said AOPA Great Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis. “Congress was the shortcut that Mayor Bibb was counting on to close the airport. We have worked behind the scenes for months and had many productive conversations with local and federal officials on this important issue. We’ve said from the beginning that the city should work with the FAA to develop an airport master plan to provide an unbiased path forward for the airport that takes the needs and concerns of all parties into consideration.”