Avflight Opens New FBO Complex at Detroit KDET Airport

Avflight and the City of Detroit officially opened a new multimillion-dollar Fixed Base Operator (FBO) complex at Coleman A. Young International Airport (KDET) on June 3, 2026, marking the first new facility constructed at the airfield in 60 years.

The development, detailed in a press release from the City of Detroit, includes a modern terminal and hangar designed to accommodate large-cabin business jets. The opening follows a year of construction after ground was broken in June 2025, expanding Avflight’s presence at the airport where it has operated since 2011.

Facility specifications and capabilities

The new complex features a 5,000-square-foot terminal building alongside a 20,000-square-foot heated hangar. According to the company, the hangar is sized to accommodate aircraft up to the Gulfstream G700.

Additional amenities include an attached, heated indoor parking garage capable of holding four passenger vehicles. Avflight Senior Vice President of Operations Joe Meszaros stated the facility provides the modern services and amenities operators expect while reinforcing the company’s commitment to Detroit’s growth.

“When we broke ground on this project at the end of last June, we saw tremendous potential in Detroit and in this airport. Today, that vision is a reality,” Meszaros said.

Broader airport revitalization efforts

The Avflight complex opens amid a broader push by the City of Detroit to modernize KDET infrastructure. Recent municipal investments include a $3.5 million runway renovation, upgrades to LED taxiway lighting, and ramp pavement improvements.

The city has also installed a new engineered material arresting system (EMAS) and is advancing plans for a new control tower. Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield noted that the FBO is one of several facilities opening in 2026, intended to make the airport a more popular destination for private aircraft and drive regional investment.

AirPro News analysis

The completion of the Avflight facility at KDET represents a critical step in reversing decades of infrastructural stagnation at the Detroit airport. By building a hangar capable of housing ultra-long-range business jets like the Gulfstream G700, Avflight is positioning KDET to capture high-end corporate traffic that might otherwise default to Oakland County International Airport (PTK) or Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW). We view the concurrent municipal investments, particularly the runway and EMAS upgrades, as essential prerequisites that gave Avflight the confidence to execute this multimillion-dollar project.

Sources: City of Detroit, Avflight