The City of Detroit recently turned down a $4-million offer from private investors to build a modern terminal and hangars at the long-neglected Coleman A. Young International Airport as Mayor Mike Duggan's team raised the idea of closing the airfield permanently.
The rejection of the offer from Avflight, the fixed-base operator at the east-side airfield still best known as Detroit City Airport, came amid complaints from airport advocates that the city is needlessly letting a potential asset deteriorate.
Among other signs of neglect, the city hasn't staffed a Detroit Fire Department station on airport grounds for many years, which prevents some business aircraft from landing there because of insurance concerns. Nor has the city applied for a variety of multimillion-dollar federal and state grants that could help pay for needed upgrades to runways.
