Debate over closing Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport intensifies

The Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership testified before the Cleveland City Council Transportation and Mobility Committee on October 7, 2025, while Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne sent a letter that month to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Ohio congressional members urging support for a proposal to close Burke Lakefront Airport, and the committee scheduled four hearings in March and April 2026 to brief council members on the closure and redevelopment concepts.

Councilman Charles Slife convened an early‑2026 session to discuss the mechanics of closing the airport, noting a loss of over $1 million per year, whereas Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership head Kyle Lewis cited an average $900,000 annual support from Cleveland to the airport and a 2018 deficit of $158,000, adding that the airport generates $200 million in statewide economic output and is projected to reach 50,000 operations annually; FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Ohio Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted publicly opposed the closure proposal in August 2025.