Coalition promotes Burke Lakefront opportunities amid closure threat

Representatives from the LAPP, which is made up of businesses and schools at the airport—along with the Cleveland National Air Show—each told their story about why they need the airport to stay open.

“From delaying critical, life-saving care, to ending opportunities for local students to learn about aviation—today’s event made it clearer than ever that the impact of closing Burke Lakefront Airport would be felt far and wide,” said AOPA Great Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis.

The event, hosted by Aitheras Aviation—a medical evacuation and transport company—comes after weeks of planning and coordination with airport officials and organizations that would be impacted.

Hours before the event, Bibb—who was invited to attend the open house—and the North Coast Waterfront Development Corp. released a report showing concepts to possibly redevelop the site.

“By releasing what they call ‘hypothetical concepts,’ it’s clear that the mayor wants to distract from the good being done at the airport—and all without a comprehensive plan,” said Lewis. “And just hours after its release, it’s clear that Cleveland residents aren’t buying it. They know it’s a waste of money, while taking away this unique public resource.”

These concepts, which include two options for redevelopment, feature a campground, walking trails, parkland, a golf course, a sledding hill, and a “great lawn,” and each plan would cost taxpayers more than $21 million per year to operate.

“As it stands today, Burke Lakefront Airport costs taxpayers nothing. It is funded through Cleveland’s airport system and operates like reliever airports in every other major city—to serve general aviation while not impacting commercial operations at larger airports,” said Lewis. “This report also does nothing to explain how the city plans to accommodate the more than 50,000 takeoffs and landings from Burke Lakefront at nearby airports. The nearest general aviation airports in Cuyahoga County and Lake County are full. And nobody—from Mayor Bibb to air traffic controllers to the traveling public—should want to add traffic to Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, which does not have the infrastructure to handle this influx.”

The city of Cleveland is currently obligated to keep the airport open until the late 2030s after accepting FAA and state grants in recent years. Closing the airport before that time would require congressional intervention.

AOPA, along with several other aviation industry organizations, met with staff for Sens. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) on March 17.

“Airports are a finite resource, and the vast majority—including Burke Lakefront—are protected by federal law,” said Lewis. “This attempt to circumvent the law is both unprecedented and unfair, and the mayor’s claim to have universal support for closing the airport is misleading.”

A spokesperson for Husted’s office told Fox 8 News on March 17, “Senator Husted is open to considering an alternative use for the airport property. However, at this time, no alternative plan has been presented for review. This would be a significant change to the downtown landscape, and any plan would need to be widely supported by the entire Cleveland community.”

However, Lewis pointed out that the March 25 report is not a comprehensive plan and does not address several major issues, including lack of coordination with the FAA.

“Everything the mayor and the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation want to accomplish can be done through compatible use,” added Lewis. “Now that the mayor has commissioned a report on alternative uses of the property, we continue to urge the mayor to work with the FAA on an Airport Master Plan and compare the two. This would not only take into account possible uses for the site, but also account for the extensive remediation that would be required, which today’s report did not touch on at all.”

A report from the Center for Cleveland in November found that remediation of just over half of the airport property could cost $800 million.

The organizations that participated in the March 25 open house include:

• AOPA
• Aitheras Aviation
• Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School
• Cleveland National Air Show
• NATA (formerly the National Air Transportation Association)
• National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
• North East Ohio Pilots Association
• Signature Aviation

The organizations that participated in the March 17 meetings with Husted and Moreno include:

• AOPA
• NBAA
• NATA
• International Council of Air Shows (ICAS)
• Signature Aviation