Detroit Airport Breaks Ground on First New Commercial Development in 60 Years
Detroit’s city-owned airport broke ground on Wednesday, April 9, for a new national headquarters for a helicopter touring company. Airport officials say it is the first commercial development at the…
The last picture I took in the United States in 1996, at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan. I took two more out the window while taking off, but they don’t count.
Detroit's city-owned airport broke ground on Wednesday, April 9, for a new national headquarters for a helicopter touring company. Airport officials say it is the first commercial development at the Coleman A. Young International Airport, at 11499 Conner St., in six decades.
MyFlight Tours is constructing a $4 million, 12,000-square-foot headquarters at the airport on the city's east side. The company has operated from its base at the airport since 2019 and now offers helicopter tours of Detroit seven days a week.
The airport was built in the 1930s. Commercial air service ceased at the airport when Southwest Airlines pulled its planes from it in 1993. The airport has continued to operate for corporate and private aviation, among other uses, but its future has remained questionable at times.
City officials believe the expansion of MyFlight at the airport is one of several significant investments expected at the facility.
According to a Detroit News report, in 2023, Detroit obtained approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to create a 20-year airport developmental and strategic plan.
The city recently added a $350,000 LED taxi lighting system and paid $3.5 million to renovate the airport's runway. Construction on a new control tower is expected to get underway in 2026. Additional upgrades to the facility are under discussion.
"Before spring's over, there's going to be another groundbreaking of another corporate hangar for jets," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said. "This airport has a very bright future."
