FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford on Friday publicly opposed Cleveland’s effort to close Burke Lakefront Airport, while Ohio Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted indicated they would not support using Congress to bypass the FAA’s traditional review process.
FAA Opposes Closure
“We need to talk about how to reopen new facilities, not how do we close existing valuable real estate,” Bedford told News 5 Cleveland.
The administrator said the FAA generally opposes airport closures and cited anticipated growth in air traffic, including drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, as part of the agency’s reasoning for retaining capacity.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration has been pursuing the possible closure of Burke as part of a broader redevelopment of the city’s lakefront. The city says the airport is underused and has operated at a multimillion-dollar deficit over the past two decades.
Burke primarily serves business and general aviation aircraft, flight schools and medical helicopters. Cleveland has studied possible replacement uses for the property that include parks, trails, recreation facilities and other development.
Congressional Path Loses Support
The city has identified two potential routes for closing Burke, either through the FAA’s standard process or through congressional action. Moreno said Friday that he would not support overriding the FAA, while Husted’s office said any proposed change should proceed through the traditional FAA review process. Existing federal and state grant obligations could otherwise require the city to maintain Burke until 2039. Cleveland would also have to avoid taking additional grants that could extend those obligations.
“Congress was the shortcut that Mayor Bibb was counting on to close the airport,” AOPA Great Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis said. “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.”
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