Mitchell May Redevelop Airfield

Map of the site that could be redeveloped. Screen capture from Google Maps.

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is considering redeveloping a section of its airfield in order to better accommodate large business aircraft, like private jets.

The airport recently began looking for consultants that could help it develop a plan for redevelopment and select a developer for implementation.

The area in question is the far northeast corner of the airfield. Today, this collection of hangers and taxiways is used for general aviation purposes, which include recreational flying and business aircraft. No commercial airlines currently operate out of this section of the airfield.

The airport wants a consultant to help it “determine how this portion of the airfield should be expanded/upgraded for use by larger business aircraft,” said Harold Mester, director of public affairs and marketing at the airport. “It will still be used for general aviation only.”

This section of the airport has historically been used for these general aviation purposes and is currently underutilized, Mester said.

Any future development would need to be designed for “maximizing opportunities for large business-class aircraft operations and storage,” according to a document for potential consultants. “however, all sizes of General Aviation activity will be considered and generally accommodated in a manner that best serves the MKE and maximizes use of the limited aeronautical use airport property.”

The airport is also planning another significant project for its airfield: removing two runways and downsizing from five to three. Such a change would not have any effect on airlines, Mester previously said. “In 2022, these runways handled less than 0.5% of our total traffic,” he said. “The other three runways handled more than 99.5% of all arrivals and departures.”