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Opposition to the city of Cleveland’s efforts to permanently shutter Burke Lakefront Airport (KBKL) is growing, with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) joining the fray as part of the Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership (LAPP).
Last month, Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County executive Chris Ronayne issued a request to the federal government, asking it to relieve the city of its obligation to operate the airport, which opened in 1947.
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and several members of Ohio’s congressional delegation, they asked for “partnership and support to begin the formal process—working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and regional stakeholders—of decommissioning Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) and repurposing this uniquely situated, approximately 450-acre waterfront site for public access and job-creating development.”
The LAPP countered that request with a letter of its own, reminding the legislators and secretary that, according to the nearly $20 million in airport improvement grants given by the FAA and the state of Ohio, KBKL is required to remain open until the late 2030s.
“By accepting these grants, the city has agreed to operate and maintain the airport,” it stated. “Temporary politicians should not be able to ignore or undo commitments made by their predecessors, which will have negative long-term impacts.”
Kyle Lewis, AOPA’s Great Lakes regional manager, noted the airport remains a vital asset to northeast Ohio and the country. “Planes take off and land there more than 50,000 times each year, and the airport serves as an important link for public safety, medevac operations, Coast Guard missions and training, flight training, educational opportunities, and more.”
Lewis added that many of the airports in the area are operating at near or full capacity. "In cases like this, if a public airport is going to close, the entity running that airport—in this case, the city of Cleveland— must prove to the FAA that the closure is in the public's best interest, and they must provide a plan for another local airport to absorb the traffic and infrastructure," he said. "Mayor Bibb has done none of that."