A coalition of aviation advocates and businesses is pushing back against Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s renewed effort to close a Cleveland airport. In recent weeks, Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne asked federal leaders to support decommissioning the 450-acre Burke Lakefront Airport, describing the site as a “once-in-a-century opportunity” for public access and economic development.

The request seeks relief from federal obligations that require the city to keep the Cleveland airport open. Those obligations stem from nearly $20 million in FAA and state grants awarded for improvements, which the coalition says commit the airport to remain operational into the late 2030s.

The Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership outlined its concerns in its own letter to lawmakers, emp

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