Aircraft parking at Burke Lakefront Airport just $5 a day
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Talk about affordable parking. Photo: Sam Allard/Axios
Parking your car for the day at City Hall's Willard Park Garage will set you back $10. Gateway East Garage for a Cavs game? That's $20, if you manage to nab a spot.
- Yes, but: Parking your single-engine aircraft at Burke Lakefront Airport costs a mere $5 per day.
Why it matters: Burke is a declining asset that occupies 450 acres of prime lakefront real estate and loses money most years while serving a predominantly business clientele.
By the numbers: Traffic volume at Burke peaked in 2000 with more than 100,000 takeoffs and landings, but fell to 40,296 in 2021.
- The facility is subsidized by fees from Hopkins International Airport, and was projected to lose $640,000 in 2022.
What they're saying: Dennis Kramer, acting director of port control for the city of Cleveland, tells Axios that Burke's aircraft parking rates are competitive with other regional general aviation airports.
- "The fees are not standalone," he says. "Once you calculate landing fees, parking fees and fuel flowage, they are a better reflection."
Of note: Landing fees for single-engine aircrafts at Burke are $7.
Zoom out: The Cuyahoga County Airport's daily parking rate is identical to Burke's for single-engine aircraft ($5 per day).
- The Lake County Executive Airport charges $15 for overnight parking on top of an initial $10 ramp fee, which is waived if you buy 10 gallons of gasoline.
- The Lorain County Regional Airport charges $20 for overnight parking the first night and $10 for successive nights, but also waives the first night's fee if you buy 20 gallons of gasoline.
The bottom line: In downtown Cleveland, it's cheaper to park a plane than it is to park a car.