Coleman A. Young International Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Coleman A. Young International Airport
Detroit City Airport 2005 (cropped).jpg
IATA: DETICAO: KDETFAA LID: DET
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Detroit
Serves Detroit, Michigan
Elevation AMSL 626 ft / 191 m
Coordinates 42°24′33″N 083°00′36″W / 42.40917°N 83.01000°W / 42.40917; -83.01000
Map
DET is located in Michigan
DET
DET
DET is located in the US
DET
DET
Location of airport in Michigan/United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 5,090 1,551 Asphalt
7/25 4,025 1,227 Asphalt
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft operations 77,571
Based aircraft 97
Sources: Airport[1] and FAA[2]

Coleman A. Young International Airport[1] (IATA: DETICAO: KDETFAA LID: DET), also known as Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport[2] and formerly known as Detroit City Airport, is a public use airport located five nautical miles (9 km) northeast of the central business district of Detroit, in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by the City of Detroit.[2]

The airport was once served by Southwest Airlines[3] and Pro Air, both of which operated Boeing 737 jetliners from the airfield. Chautauqua Airlines also served the airport but then ceased service less than one year later.[4] Spirit Airlines planned service to the airport using McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 aircraft in 1995, but the service never began.[5] Pro Air, a commercial passenger airline, was based at the airport and grounded by the FAA due to poor maintenance performance. The airport currently has no scheduled passenger airline service.

The airport's passenger terminal is also operated by the US Customs department, which serves private and cargo airplanes.

The 53,000-square-foot (4,900 m2) passenger terminal includes space for restaurants, retail concessions, car rental facilities, airline offices, baggage pick-up and claim areas, boarding areas and passenger lounges. The airport has three 1,000 space parking lots.

The airport has been listed as an asset of the city of Detroit which could be sold to cover debts as a result of the city's 2013 bankruptcy filing. Other assets, such as public museums, are prohibited from sale due to private agreements and state laws. The future of the site as a functioning airport after such a sale is unclear.[citation needed]

Former airline service (1966-2000)[edit]

The following airlines served Detroit City Airport:[4]

DET was Detroit's primary airport until 1946-47 when almost all airline flights moved to Willow Run Airport and then later to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. The March 1939 Official Aviation Guide shows 13 weekday departures on American, 10 on Pennsylvania Central and one on Marquette.[6] The June 1946 OAG shows 100 weekday departures on Pennsylvania Central, American, United, Northwest, Eastern, TWA, C&S and Michigan Central.[7]

Facilities and aircraft[edit]

Coleman A. Young International Airport covers an area of 264 acres (107 ha) at an elevation of 626 feet (191 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 15/33 is 5,090 by 100 feet (1,551 m × 30 m) and 7/25 is 4,025 by 100 feet (1,227 m × 30 m).[2]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2007, the airport had 77,571 aircraft operations, an average of 212 per day: 88% general aviation and 11% air taxi and 1% military. At that time there were 97 aircraft based at this airport: 84% single-engine, 11% multi-engine, 4% jet and 1% ultralight.[2][8]

Until around 1965 the airport boasted a gas tank 330 ft tall at 42.40817N 83.00926W NAD83, less than 630 ft west of the centerline of runway 15/33.

In 1989, mayor Coleman A. Young abandoned a plan to expand the airport's runway because the adjoining Gethsemane Cemetery blocked the way, and outraged relatives protested. As a result, a few years later Southwest Airlines ended its operations there, citing the city's inability to keep its promises and the need for longer runways to accommodate larger jet aircraft.[9][10][11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Coleman A. Young International Airport at City of Detroit website
  2. ^ a b c d e FAA Airport Master Record for DET (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2009-08-27.
  3. ^ Moore, Natalie Y., Detroit struggles to lift City Airport off ground, Detroit News, August 4, 2004, Retrieved 2010-01-27
  4. ^ a b McConnell, Darci. Mayor: Fix or shut Detroit City Airport, Detroit News, March 20, 2002, Retrieved 2010-01-27
  5. ^ Spirit Airlines to use jets at Detroit City Airport, Associated Press via Ludington Daily News, March 25, 1995
  6. ^ Official Aviation Guide, Chicago IL: Official Aviation Guide Company, 1939 
  7. ^ Official Guide of the Airways, Chicago IL: Official Aviation Guide Company, 1946 
  8. ^ Air Routing International
  9. ^ Wilkerson, Isabel (March 30, 1988). "Detroit Journal; Must Cemetery Yield to Airport?". The New York Times. Photo Credits: NYT/Peter Yates. New York: NYTC. Special to the New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014. 
  10. ^ "Detroit Will Spare Cemetery In an Airport Expansion Plan". The New York Times. New York: NYTC. Reuters. April 1, 1988. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014. 
  11. ^ McConnell, Darci; McWhirter, Cameron; Smith, Joel J. (March 20, 2002). "Mayor: Fix or shut Detroit City Airport: Kilpatrick wants $400 million for runway, terminal". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2014. 

External links[edit]