Detroit airport to get new helicopter tour facility
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MyFlight broke ground on the construction of its new building Wednesday. Photo: Annalise Frank/Axios
Detroit's airport on the east side is getting its first new commercial facility in six decades — and it involves helicopter tours.
Why it matters: A new $4 million headquarters for helicopter tour company MyFlight adds to recent work to revitalize the long-underused Coleman A. Young International Airport.
State of play: MyFlight broke ground Wednesday on a vacant site where the 12,000-square-foot building is being built.
- It's expected to finish before the end of the year, offering a major upgrade from MyFlight's current operations in the airport's old terminal building, co-owner Cassandra Troiani tells Axios.
Zoom in: The new building will include a larger lobby and lounge-like waiting area with a bar and food, plus event space and offices.
- Walls of windows will allow people to hang out and watch the helicopters.
- "We wanted it to be really elevated, a great spot for date nights, anniversaries, any special occasion," Troiani says, including gender reveal parties where a helicopter overhead releases colored powder.
Between the lines: MyFlight began its tours in 2021 in Detroit. The company operates nine to 12 locations across five states, depending on the season.
- Helicopter tours start at $55 per person, per Troiani.
Catch up quick: The city airport is nearly a century old. It ended commercial passenger service in 2000 and suffered from disinvestment.
- Advocates have supported the more than 200-acre airfield for decades, but its future was in limbo for years.
- Redevelopment work has ramped up since around 2021, including more long-term planning and federal funding, as well as the expected 2027 return of an aviation school that left in 2013.
What they're saying: "A lot of people we have flown over the years didn't even know the city airport was still open," says Troiani, who owns MyFlight with her husband, Sergio.
- "It's been incredible to watch the city airport grow … being able to bring people, reintroduce them to this space and create excitement about what's happening here and seeing it as a new possibility of what's to come."
What's next: Work is underway to clear a site to build a new $60 million air traffic control tower, airport department director Jason Watt told the City Council in a meeting last month.
- The project uses federal funding, but it isn't clear if that funding could be delayed under President Trump's administration.