TURTLECREEK TWP. - The Warren County Airport will likely be expanding to adopt many of the flight services abandoned by the closing of the Blue Ash airport, county officials said today.
The Warren County Airport, located northwest of Lebanon on Greentree Road, plans to build more hangars and take on more flight-related businesses due to the closure of Blue Ash's airport, said county Commissioner Dave Young.
"We're looking at adopting their aviation school, possibly their charter businesses and some other big things that are still in the works," Young said.
The airport is privately owned, so the county would not have to pay for building new hangars or infrastructure improvement. The county owns the land the airport is built on. Young said there were no plans to increase the runway size or for the airport to begin taking large commercial jets.
Cincinnati officials announced earlier this week that they wanted to close the 91-year-old airport in early June. Cincinnati will turn the airport land over to the city of Blue Ash, which has indicated they will not attempt to continue to run an airport there.
Airport co-owner Bob Henderson was less definitive about the possibility of growth of the airport.
"Nothing's definitive yet, but it's within the realm of possibility we'd be receiving a good chunk of the companies left out of Blue Ash," said Henderson, who estimated between 18 and 40 companies could end up relocating to Warren County.
Young said the prospect was exciting because it would give corporations easy access to Warren County.
"I think you can directly trace Blue Ash's growth to the ease of the small airport that was located right there," Young said. "Heaving an expanded operation at the Warren County airport is an impetus for more corporations to look at Warren County as a place to locate because there is easy access to the area, on top of the great schools and other amenities available here."
Henderson saw smaller economic development possibilities by the growth.
"It would be good for the airport and good for the county," Henderson opined. "More foot traffic in the area. People stopping for a bite to eat before they come to fly their planes. Plus people want to play where they live and vice versa."
The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or [email protected]
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