The Metro: New terminal, amenities coming to Detroit’s city airport

Coleman A. Young International Airport is getting a facelift after nearly 50 years without major renovations. 

Last year, the city received federal approval to institute a 20-year development and strategy design, which will be led by the airport’s fixed-base operator, AvFlight. This summer, AvFlight will be building an additional terminal with new amenities and a modern design.

Jason Watt, director of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport, joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss the new design and enhancements.

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Watt explained how the airport is working towards incentives to increase minority pilots.

“So the exciting things that we’re working on right now is an initiative around aviation for the city of Detroit, as well as potentially working with Wayne County on these initiatives so that we will be able to establish some type of training programs for the citizens of the city of Detroit as well as surrounding communities throughout Wayne County,” Watt said. “And the exciting thing around that is that we’re looking at different ways to basically get children into pilot training programs, and have them be paid for.”

In addition to incentivizing and providing more learning resources for young pilots in the metro Detroit area the Coleman A. Young International Airport is looking towards innovating flights and providing various options for citizens.

“So as of right now, there are no plans for commercial traffic, is what you think is traditional commercial traffic. But, I do see different utilization of the airport when we talk about electric vertical take-off landing aircraft, as well as we call it CFR Part 135, which is essentially air taxi or charter type services,” Watt explains. “We’re going to expand in those spaces, so that we can offer different options for our citizens. That being said, we also have a helicopter tour operator out there. So, that offers a very unique opportunity to see the city trade from a different standpoint.” 

More details on helicopter tours and the Coleman A. Airport updates can be found on the city of Detroit’s website at detroitmi.gov. 

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Watt.

More headlines from The Metro on June 5, 2024:

• Last week, Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted in a criminal case. A jury found Trump guilty of felony crimes related to falsifying records and his 2016 presidential election campaign. Local government affairs consultant Dennis Darnoi joined the show to discuss.
• Originally opened in 1984 as Chene Park, The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Aretha kicks off its 2024 Jazzy Nights concert series Wednesday evening with a performance by Grammy-award winning singer Lalah Hathaway and saxophonist Mike Phillips. Malik Mausi, executive manager of The Right Productions, joined the show to share more about the summer concert series.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.