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 standards and to prepare sites for an air traffic control tower and additional hangars.

Watts told council members the airport has started environmental review and title-clearance work for parcels on the airport’s backside, describing a review of roughly 494 parcels to clear deed restrictions and other title issues. He said the environmental and design work is a multiyear effort, with a design and engineering preplanning phase now, final design next year and installation in 2027 for some items.

Watts estimated the new air traffic control tower at about $60,000,000 and called the utilities rebuild on the airport’s backside a separate major cost, estimating roughly $300,000,000 for anticipated utility work and conversion from residential to commercial service. He said the airport has cleared a site for the tower and is “finalizing the environmental mitigation” and that most federal funding has not shown delays so far.

On airport classification and revenue, Watts said changes in commercial activity could change the airport’s FAA funding category. He told the council that aircraft operations tied to a helicopter tour operator and other passenger activity currently generate about 20,000 enplanements a year. If the airport qualifies as a primary nonhub airport under FAA rules, he said, annual entitlement funding could rise from about $150,000 to approximately $1,300,000.

Council members asked about marketing, outreach and partnerships. Council President (referred to in the meeting as “Madam President”) moved to add $25,000 for airport marketing to the executive session; the chair said, “Hearing no objections, I will add that to executive session.” Crowell told the council his office started a quarterly newsletter, outreach with community groups and coordination with the city’s media team. He also said the airport is working with partners to create Aviation Career Education Academies and internship opportunities that tie certificates to jobs.

Council Member Benson moved to add $1,000,000 for infrastructure upgrades to executive session; the motion was included by unanimous consent (“Hearing no objections, that action will be taken”). Council Member Young moved to add a study of air taxis and drones for freight to executive session; that motion also was included by unanimous consent.

On advanced mobility and unmanned aircraft, Watts and staff said the airport is in early, largely conceptual testing phases. Watts described work on low-altitude air-traffic management and systems needed to operate beyond visual line of sight, and he said that Federal Aviation Administration approvals remain the key regulatory barrier. He noted MDOT Aeronautics pilot projects in Michigan and said the airport is the state’s only designated vertiport. Crowell and Watts cited Zipline — a company the staff visited — as one of the few operators that has FAA certification for beyond-visual-line-of-sight medical deliveries.

Council members raised workforce and equity questions. Council Member Santiago Romero and others asked whether the airport’s training and certification programs link to city employment pipelines; Ramon Crowell said the airport is coordinating with employment services and partners, and that the Aviation Career Academy and internships are designed so certifications lead to jobs. Council Member Johnson and others asked for additional public events and briefings so nearby residents can learn about activity at the airport.

Actions at a glance: council members consented to add three items to executive session: $25,000 for airport marketing, $1,000,000 for interim infrastructure upgrades tied to the DPSCD transition, and a study of air taxis and drone freight operations. Meeting staff described these as being added by unanimous consent rather than votes.

Watts and Crowell named several private and public partners involved in the airport’s redevelopment and programs, including Detroit Aircraft Corporation, My Flight Corporation, Aflac, Detroit Public Schools Community District (for B.O. Davis Aerospace Technical High School), DTE, MDOT Aeronautics, Wayne State University and the Wayne County Airport Authority.

The council concluded the budget hearing and moved on to public comment.