By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

EAST END - A Cincinnati City Council committee on Monday endorsed extending the runway at city-owned Lunken Airport and permitting bigger planes to land.

But there's no consensus on whether to ban scheduled passenger service, as some have suggested. That decision may come at a Wednesday meeting of City Council.

The Community Development Committee, which oversees the airport, recommended that Lunken extend its main runway southward by 900 feet to 7,000 feet. It also endorsed raising the weight limit for planes from 70,000 pounds to 100,000.

The runway length and weight restrictions were recommended by the Lunken Airport Oversight Advisory Board so corporate airport users can fly larger, newer planes.

Raising the weight limits doesn't cost anything; it's simply a matter of filing new paperwork, city officials say. The Federal Aviation Administration and revenues from airport operations would pay for the $2.5 million runway extension.

The extension would take three to five years, but the increased weight limits would go in effect as soon as council approves them and informs the FAA.

Councilman John Cranley agrees with the new limits, but he also proposes banning scheduled passenger commercial service and says he won't settle for less. There is no such service at the airport now.

The advisory board, at least one member of council's community development committee - Councilman James Tarbell - and the committee chairman, Councilman David Crowley, however, aren't promoting an outright ban on passenger commercial service.

They endorse a new airport certification from the FAA that would ban the service because none is offered now. But at the same time, they say, the city must plan for having to permit passenger service later.

A local company, Flamingo Express, has applied to start scheduled flights to Chicago.

"It seems like everyone is agreeing on the basics," Councilman David Pepper said after Monday's meeting, where the airport was discussed for more than two hours.

"There is no need for a showdown. I see no reason why we can't bring this to a close if most everyone agrees on a basic plan."

Cranley says the city should let the FAA know as soon as possible what kind of service it wants at the airport before a scheduled passenger service does start.

The ban, some airport neighbors and Cranley insist, must be in place with the expanded runway and weight limit to help protect homes from increased noise.

"If we wait, something may come in before we get our final certification and that would be a shame," Cranley said.

The FAA hasn't decided future certifications for airports that do not have scheduled service but do have requests from companies to start, agency officials have written Cincinnati.

"We are never going to get crystal clarity but there are some issues that need some more discussion and thought," Crowley said. "I have never said I was for or against the ban. I have made that point over and over. Let's understand what it means if we do or don't do it."

---

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com