It’s home to roughly 73 aircraft and averages 96 operations per day, according to AirNav.com, and AOPA has fought for years for its survival, but it appears the battle for Cincinnati-Blue Ash airport is now officially lost. According to AOPA, the city of Cincinnati has sent notice to the FAA that it will close the reliever airport, effective August 29. AOPA says it “received personal assurances from city leaders” and that the airport “would continue to operate as a general aviation airport.” Those assurances have apparently evolved into new plans.
Local authorities have allowed the expiration of all federal grant agreements related to the airport, relieving local governments of any federal obligation to keep the airport open. Cincinnati’s plan for closure appears to include the return of any and all funds it has received from Blue Ash. Then it plans to close the airport and sell the property to the city of Blue Ash, according to AOPA’s vice president of airport advocacy, Bill Dunn. As recently as last year, AOPA reported that city officials planned to reconfigure the airport for continued operation, selling half the land to the city of Blue Ash. Local pilots, with the support of local businesses and AOPA, had made an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the land. AOPA’s Dunn says every rock has been turned and “we’re simply out of options at this point.” In its letter to the FAA, the city of Cincinnati has stated that it will work with the agency to make sure that the airport’s closure is safe, including dissemination of notices to airmen.
