The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is applauding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Ohio’s U.S. senators for recent comments explicitly opposing the closure of Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL).
Following a tour of an FAA air traffic control facility in Oberlin, OH, on Aug. 14, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) made abundantly clear that closing Burke Lakefront Airport is not an option, effectively grounding Mayor Justin Bibb’s push to shutter the facility.
In an interview with a Cleveland ABC-TV affiliate, Bedford said, “The FAA is against closing airports across the country. We need to talk about how do we open new facilities; not how do we close existing, valuable real estate. So, I will tell you, the FAA is not in favor of closing Burke field.”
Moreno agreed with Bedford’s assessment, stating: “From my perspective…there is no scenario in which Burke Lakefront Airport would be closed, given the study and time that the FAA has spent analyzing this.”
Directly addressing any attempt to circumvent FAA decision-making about airports by requesting congressional intervention with overriding legislation, Moreno added: “It would be patently absurd for a politician to override the experts at the FAA – to say, ‘We know better than you do.’”
Moreno noted that he and his colleague, Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), are in agreement in opposing the closure of BKL – a declaration supported by a statement separately issued from Husted’s office, which read: “At this time, Sen. Husted believes any change to Burke Lakefront should go through the traditional process, so the FAA can properly assess any plans for the property’s future.”
The government leaders’ comments supporting the preservation of BKL come on the heels of two recent letters from more than 50 Cleveland-area business, education and civic leaders opposing the airport’s closure. The Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership, of which NBAA is a member, has worked for months with local and national organizations in a united effort to keep the airport open.
Those letters follow a recent study by the Ohio Department of Transportation concluding that BKL generates $195 million in direct annual economic activity, sustains 664 jobs, serves as a vital reliever airfield for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), provides essential connectivity for Northeast Ohio businesses and operates as an indispensable training ground for aviation professionals, at a time when the nation faces a critical aviation workforce shortage.
“We thank Administrator Bedford, and Sens. Moreno and Husted, for recognizing that Burke Lakefront Airport is an essential community asset, critical to the city’s progress, prosperity, regional connectivity and workforce opportunity,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
“We appreciate the meetings and other discussions Administrator Bedford and the senators have held with NBAA, to ensure the business aviation community’s opposition to closing the airport is well understood. Equally important, their comments validate what Cleveland citizens and companies have long made clear: Burke is not a liability to be closed, but a vital asset to be strengthened.”
