Burke Airport supporters meet with FAA Associate Administrator for airports

The Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership (LAPP) met with the FAA's associate administrator for airports, Daniel Edwards, to express shared opposition to Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's proposed closure of Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL). Mayor Bibb requested in Oct. 205 that the federal government relieve the city of its obligation to keep BKL open. Officials have discussed since 2022 the possibility of shutting down the airport due to a decline in usage. Traffic volume at the airport hit its peak in 2000, with just over 100,000 takeoffs and landings, but dropped almost 60% in 2 decades. The LAPP was formed in Nov. 2025 by the Cleveland community in opposition to its closing. The group stated that $20 million in grants have been awarded to improve the airport and that the funding requires it to remain open until the late 2030s. Despite continued claims of lack of use, the airport generates $76.6 million in annual economic activity, according to data verified as part of the studies commissioned by the Cleveland City Council. The LAPP held an open house on March 25 to share its vision for the future of BKL and puch back against the hypothetical redevelopment concepts that were released by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb the same day. The LAPP claims Mayor Bibb is trying to circumvent federal law to close the airport. The redevelopment concepts were released by the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation and include two options. The plans feature a campground, walking trails, parkland, golf course, a sledding hill and a large lawn. Both plans would cost taxpayers more than $21 million per year to operate. "We appreciate Associate Administrator Edwards for taking the time to hear our serious concerns about the proposed closure of Burke Lakefront Airport," said Kyle Lewis, AOPA Great Lakes regional manager. "Mayor Bibb's proposal to eliminate this important reliever airport, serving 50,000 flights each year, is both unprecedented and a waste of taxpayer resources. The mayor's staff and the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation have misled the public and Cleveland City Council for months—and we learned they have also taken their false claims to FAA leadership. The mayor's office has said that other local airports can take on 50,000 more operations each year, that operators at Burke are willing or even excited about moving their operations to other airports, that consolidating much of this traffic at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport would make airspace safer, and that a large number of other public officials support the closure. All of these claims are false and undermine the mayor's credibility." RELATED STORIES: Burke Airport supporters hold open house; push back against redevelopment Burke supporters meet with Cleveland Mayor's staff on airport closure proposal Ohio community opposes request to close Burke Lakefront Airport The meeting comes six days after the Cleveland City Council Transportation and Mobility Committee's fourth hearing on the purposed closure. At the hearing, North Coast Waterfront Development Corp. presented data claiming that 85% of respondents support the proposal, but this data was based on its own survey. Councilman Charles Slife, who chairs the City Council Transportation andamp; Mobility Committee, invited the LAPP to a fifth hearing so council members can hear from airport users and supporters, according to Spectrum News. "Burke Lakefront Airport is needed and appreciated by the general aviation community, medical aviation businesses, the Cleveland National Air Show, the International Women's Air and Space Museum, the Lake Erie Chapter of the Ninety Nines, the Cleveland Chapter of Women in Aviation, the businesses that reside at the airport, and so many other stakeholders," said local resident and pilot Lori Manthey to Globalair. "Hundreds of local pilots, including myself, learned to fly at Burke. Currently, pilots from the region and nearby states, fly into Burke to practice instrument approaches to perfect their landings in low visibility conditions. The potential for growth at Burke is great if the city of Cleveland began to actively encourage growth and business development. Pilots from all over the State of Ohio and nearby states would flock to Burke if a nice restaurant were to be added. The city should put their efforts into improving Burke rather than pushing to close it."