Delaware officials sign a joint use agreement that authorizes more civilian and commercial flights at a portion of the Dover Air Force Base.
Over several years, the Delaware Department of Transportation and Delaware River & Bay Authority negotiated the agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, opening up a path for more commercial flights in Dover.
The new lease agreement at the Central Dover Aviation Complex, formerly known as the Civil Air Terminal, will run for 50 years and increases the maximum number of operations from 13,500 to 25,000, which project leaders like DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeksi hope will attract more developers to central Delaware.
“They have come up with a grand vision that is going to be able to expand economic development in this county and create hundreds if not thousands of new jobs for this area, so this is a big deal for us to be here," Majeski said.
Sen. Chris Coons says increasing civilian and commercial flights is an untapped benefit for Delaware.
“There are a few other states – Kansas, Arkansas – that have made civil aviation really the anchor of their economic growth. Delaware's got an incredible competitive advantage. There is crowded airspace. There are crowded airports all up and down the east coast — not here," Coons said.
The previous lease agreement was in place for 25 years, and state leaders hope doubling the length of the new contract will encourage more companies and developers to commit to partnering with the terminal.
With two of the largest runways in the state, officials hope the new agreement will bring in more operations in addition to the traffic from NASCAR, music festivals and athletes competing at the DE Turf Complex.
