Cleveland, Ohio is continuing its investigation into the possible closing of Burke Lakefront Airport (KBKL) with the release this week of the results of studies commissioned by the office of Mayor Justin Bibb.
The first, an Airport Layout Narrative Report, focused on the FAA requirements as well as the legal, operational, and financial implications of closing the airport. Due to its current FAA grant assurances—which will not expire until 2036—the airport is committed to remaining open for more than another decade, if the city does not accept any further improvement grants. If the city sought to close the airport sooner, it would still be liable for the repayment of millions of dollars in grants. Another avenue would be seeking congressional help to lobby the FAA for permission to close KBKL.
In 2022, the most recent year of available data, there were 40,000 operations at KBKL, less than half of what the airport saw during its peak years in the 1990s and 2000s. The studies determined KBKL’s annual direct economic impact is $76.6 million, most of which it said would stay in the region if the dedicated general aviation airport would close, with Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Cuyahoga County Airport able to absorb its traffic.
One loss would be the annual Cleveland Air Show—which is held at Burke and generates approximately one-third of its economic impact—that no other airports in the area could accommodate.
Possible redevelopment of the site, which occupies 245 acres of prime lakefront real estate, was also considered by the studies. Under one scenario—which specified retaining the majority of the property for parks and greenspace while zoning the remainder for mixed-use development—the report estimates annual economic activity of more than $90 million.
“The findings have reinforced my long-held belief that closing Burke is both possible and economically advantageous for Cleveland,” said Bibb, who added that the decision to close KBKL has not yet been made and that the application to the FAA has not yet begun.