Burke Lakefront Stakeholders Urge Airport Investment at Cleveland City Council Hearing

The hearing comes weeks after FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Ohio Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted all publicly stated their opposition to Mayor Justin Bibb’s plan to close the airport.

“We appreciate the Cleveland City Council for holding today’s hearing, and giving local companies and pilots, along with national organizations, the opportunity to speak about the future of Burke Lakefront,” Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Great Lakes Regional Manager Kyle Lewis said after the hearing. “It’s clear that the vast majority of city council’s Transportation and Mobility Committee members not only oppose the mayor’s plan but strongly support future growth and development at Burke Lakefront because of the economic benefit to the community.”

In addition to several national and regional aviation organizations, local LAPP members that spoke during the hearing included:

• George Katsikas, the founder of medical evacuation and charter operator Aitheras Aviation, which is based at Burke Lakefront.
• Drew Ferguson, the founder of Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School.
• Two students at Davis Aerospace & Maritime High School.
• Signature Aviation, which operates the only fixed-base operator (FBO) at Burke Lakefront.

Katsikas, Ferguson, and a Signature representative all described plans to invest in and grow their operations at Burke Lakefront—totaling tens of millions of dollars—but the lack of long-term leases has kept those investments from being made.

“This administration will not extend leases at Burke Airport, doesn’t want to get any investment at Burke Airport, which is mind-boggling to me,” Cleveland City Council Member Michael Polensek said during the hearing, calling it “demolition by neglect.”

“The administration and others ... put so much effort into trying to close Burke and get government dollars and private dollars to help support this development,” Cleveland City Council Member Richard Starr said. “But when it comes to just the basic needs of Cleveland, we don’t have that same type of energy from the administration.”

“It’s been one year since the mayor restarted his effort to close Burke Lakefront Airport, and he doesn’t have anything to show for it,” Lewis said. “The airport is getting busier. The FAA, Ohio’s senators, and many city council members all publicly oppose closing it. The widespread support the mayor claimed to have is nowhere to be found, and many of his claims about benefits to the community have been debunked.”

“It’s time to move on from the discussion about whether to close the airport and focus on investing in it for the future—at no cost to Cleveland taxpayers,” Lewis added.