Cleveland Mayor Pushes For Burke Lakefront Airport Closure By 2029

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is pushing to close Burke Lakefront Airport by the end of his second term.

Amelia Walsh

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 at 02:03 PM ET

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Matt Ryan

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Key Takeaways:

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is pushing to close Burke Lakefront Airport by the end of his second term, ideally within 12-24 months, to redevelop the city's downtown lakefront.
The mayor's plan requires approval from both Congress and the Cleveland City Council.
The proposed closure faces significant opposition from pilots and business tenants, who argue the airport is a critical regional asset for approximately 50,000 annual operations, including essential medevac and Coast Guard missions.
Federal regulations mandate that Cleveland demonstrate the closure serves the public interest and that another facility can absorb the displaced air traffic.

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Mayor Justin Bibb has set his sights on closing Burke Lakefront Airport by the end of his second term, signaling a renewed push to redevelop the city’s downtown lakefront.

“It would be fantastic to get this closed by the end of my second term,” Bibb told local media outlet Cleveland.com. “And I’d be even more excited to get it done over the next 12 to 24 months.”

According to the report, Bibb’s remarks are the first time he has set a public timeline for closing the airport noting that he hopes to convince both Congress and Cleveland City Council to support the measure.

For years, city leaders have weighed decommissioning Burke’s 450 acres to make way for residential and commercial projects. But the plan faces pushback from pilots and business tenants who argue the airport remains a critical regional asset.

Burke averages roughly 50,000 operations annually, including medevac flights, Coast Guard missions, and flight training, according to AOPA. Federal regulations also require Cleveland to show that closing the airport would serve the public interest and that another facility could absorb the displaced traffic.

Upcoming hearings regarding Burke Lakefront’s future begin Jan. 21.

One thought on “Cleveland Mayor Pushes For Burke Lakefront Airport Closure By 2029”

I believe the plan is to close the airport no matter what. I think the leaders In Cleveland have a long track record of wrong decisions that include decades of rapid trains that don’t go where people need to go (think: E34th, E55th, E79th…); zoning codes that don’t insure complete neighborhoods (very few stores on the East side, no Giant Eagle or Marcs stores, few apartments and those without shopping within walking distance, very many vacant lots along the avenues with a lane for traffic and a lane for bikes (which used to be smaller bike lanes, but now full lanes, and a law to give 3ft of space when passing too). Many apartments around the Cuyahoga river, but very little retail in those areas too. I believe after closing the airport there will be years of waiting with nothing done on the vacant land, what opportunities were thought for the “Opportunity Corredor”? There were reports of how much money is lost with the airport, but nothing of what could be earned if it were used for it’s intended purpose. I read Avelo airlines requested to be able to offer flights to Burke, but the city turned them down. Who knows how many others there might have been over the years.