New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer received the recommendation from Wilmington Airport Task Force chair Alan Levin not to renew the existing Acquisition Agreement and Ground Lease with the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) and issue a Request for Proposal from qualified and experienced airport managers and developers, including DRBA. The decision was reached unanimously by the task force. New Castle County Council must elect to renew or not renew the agreements.
“The people of New Castle County own our state’s largest airport and deserve to get the best value,” County Executive Meyer said. “I am grateful for the task force’s time and dedication to this important project, and we look forward to an exciting future for the airport as a hub of economic development in the region.”
The lease, signed by the County and DRBA in 1995 will automatically renew on June 30 of this year for another 30 year term unless the County provides notice of non-renewal to DRBA. If the County issues a notice of non-renewal, DRBA will continue to manage the airport until 2025.
In October 2019, County Executive Meyer convened a task force of business and community leaders, local airport experts and elected officials to consider the current and possible new economic vision for the Wilmington Airport (ILG).
The task force assessed the benefits of diversifying the business model at the Wilmington Airport (ILG) and considered any management strategies to accomplish that goal. After a competitive bidding process, Airport Business Solutions analyzed and assessed economic opportunities to support the growth of existing tenants, new job creation and revenue generation at the Wilmington Airport. Airport Business Solutions supplied New Castle County and the task force with a detailed white paper that can be viewed HERE and the supplement HERE.
=The taskforce will present their findings on Tuesday, April 28 at County Council’s finance committee meeting.
Source: NCC
