Detroit City Council hears updates on airport redevelopment, workforce programs and studies of air taxis and drones

Detroit City Council members on Tuesday received a progress report from Detroit City Airport staff on a multi-year redevelopment that includes imminent groundbreakings, new tenants and expanded workforce training, and they approved placing several budget and study items into executive session.

“Right now the airport's going through a huge redevelopment,” Airport Director Jason Watts told the council, listing an April 9 groundbreaking, a forthcoming Aflac hangar groundbreaking, a ribbon-cutting for a new flight school and the planned return of B.O. Davis Aerospace Technical High School to airport property in August 2027.

The update outlined three near-term events: a My Flight Corporation groundbreaking scheduled for April 9 at 2 p.m.; an Aflac hangar groundbreaking within two weeks of that date; and a ribbon-cutting for Fly by Wire, a flight school that airport staff said will be operated by Wetzel Tucker. Ramon Crowell, community outreach and public relations manager for the airport, said the airport supported a FAA workforce-development grant application for Fly by Wire worth $1,000,000 to fund pilot training for up to 25 students.

Why it matters: City officials said the projects would expand job and training opportunities and change how the airport is used. Staff also described major infrastructure and regulatory work needed to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) design…