Earlier this year we reported on the possible closure of the Cincinnatti-Blue Ash Airport (KISZ) in Blue Ash, Ohio, six miles northeast of downtown Cincinnati. Sadly, on Aug. 29th at 8 a.m. local time, the 91-year-old airport closed permanently. According to now former Blue Ash Airport manager Fred Anderton, who also manages Cincinnati Lunken Airport, the airport property, which is located in the middle of the city, will become a recreational park.
“The condition of general aviation is not encouraging,” Anderton said. “We’re seeing about half of the number of operations here as we did six years ago.” Anderton, who has been an airport manager for more than 25 years, said the 30 or so airplanes that were based at Blue Ash were relocated to the Lebanon-Warren County (I68) and Butler County Airports (KHAO), which are located within a 20-minute drive from the closed airport.
AOPA has been working with the local general aviation community and city officials for five years to save the airport. “With the expiration of all federal grant agreements, the FAA has no legal authority to force Cincinnati to keep the airport open,” said Bill Dunn, AOPA’s vice president of airport advocacy, in a recent AOPA article. “We’re simply out of options at this point with every rock having been turned over.”
For more background on the Blue Ash Airport, see Martha Lunken’s column from the May issue of Flying.
