Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport

Detroit, MI

In 1927, the Detroit City Airport (DET) opened just five miles northeast of downtown Detroit.  As the only airport with passenger airline service in the area, it served as the Detroit region’s gateway to the rest of the United States and the world through the end of World War II.  After World War II, passenger airline service at Detroit City Airport moved first to Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti and then to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, which remains the dominant passenger airline service airport in the region today.  

Since 1975, at least 11 airlines have started passenger service at DET with hopes to draw passengers due to DET’s proximity to downtown Detroit.  However, none of the airlines served DET for any significant length of time due to weak passenger demand, short runways, and airline financial difficulties. DET has not had scheduled passenger service since 2000.

Detroit City Airport was renamed Coleman A. Young International Airport in 2003 in honor of the former Mayor.  DET today occupies an area of 264 acres and is located approximately 10 minutes away from downtown Detroit on the City’s eastside.

In 2017, the City of Detroit contracted with internationally-recognized aviation consulting firm GRA, Incorporated, and a team that included QED Airport & Aviation Consultant, Juergensen+Associates, LLC and BaltimoreDesign, to analyze investments necessary to maintain DET in a state of good repair, make DET the premier destination for general aviation aircraft in metro Detroit, restore commercial air carrier service and examine the potential repurposing for non-aviation uses. 

Phase I is complete and Phases 2 and 3 are expected to begin shortly.