Airport Plans New Facility For Private Air Travel

Layout, oriented toward the east, of planned general aviation hangar campus. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is planning to develop a new facility for business and general aviation, with hopes to boost private business travel out of the airport.

In the northeast corner of the airport campus, near the intersection of E. Layton Ave. and I-794, the airport would like to replace a stand of older hangars with a new, modern hangar complex capable of supporting larger private jets for business travel and civilian use.

The airport has long dedicated this portion of the grounds to general aviation, which generally refers to all non-commercial air travel. Today just over a dozen hangars sit on the site. But there aren’t enough to provide long term storage for some of the larger private aircraft in use today, like larger turbofan and turbojet aircraft.

In 2023, the airport brought on aviation consultant Ricondo to create a plan for redeveloping the area for use by larger business aircraft. The plan envisions more than a two-dozen new hangars with improved taxiways and access to the runways.

Now the airport is looking for qualified developers to partner with for the development in the future.

“The development will result in more aircraft based at MKE, helping business aviation flourish in ways that haven’t been possible before,” the airport said in a newsletter for general aviation pilots.

It’s rare for an airport of Milwaukee Mitchell’s size to have space for a development, according to the newsletter. The location also provides a unique opportunity for future business travelers, as the site is located directly adjacent to 794 and is a short drive from downtown Milwaukee.

As the airport moves forward toward eventual construction, it is not renewing leases on antiquated buildings slated for removal. Other tenants are being given month-to-month leases with the option to eventually become tenants of the new, modern facilities the airport is planning.

The airport is also preparing to begin construction on a massive $75 million air-cargo facility on the southern end of the campus. The 337,000-square-foot facility is being constructed in what is currently the Milwaukee Regional Business Park. It will have space for up to five Boeing 777-8F airplanes.

The cargo facility is being developed by Dallas-based Crow Holdings. The airport is leasing the ground to Crow Holdings for approximately $1.1 million annually. Once the lease is up, and if it’s not renewed, all the infrastructure will become public property owned by the airport.