90th anniversary of Coleman A. Young International Airport

Anonymous donor from California gives $676,000

To fund youth aviation programs

The advocacy group Friends of Detroit City Airport plans to celebrate the Coleman A. Young International Airport's 90th anniversary Thursday with an announcement of new education funding.

An anonymous donor from California is giving about $676,000 for youth aviation programs at the airport site, said Beverly Kindle-Walker, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Detroit City Airport.

The anniversary celebration is 3:30-6 p.m. Thursday, is open to the public, and includes food, tours with airport tenants and a press conference at 4 p.m.

The Coleman A. Young International Airport, formerly the Detroit City Airport, has evolved over the decades since a plane first landed there in 1927. Now the facility is underutilized and posts operating losses, Crain's has reported.

The anonymous gift will go toward providing dedicated training space and updating programming in a bid to lure more aviation education back to the airport grounds, Kindle-Walker said.

One specific goal is to bring back extensive aviation training programs run through Davis Aerospace Technical High School. The school was previously located near the airport, but moved in 2013 to the Golightly Career and Tech Center. Davis does still bring students to the airport, but for limited training, Kindle-Walker said.

Detroit leaders have also pitched the airport as an asset in the city's resurgence.

Mayor Mike Duggan's administration has sought out developers this year to find new uses for the 264-acre plot of land. Also, Quicken Loans Inc. Chairman Dan Gilbert pointed to the underutilized airport as a selling point in the city's bid for Amazon.com Inc.'s second headquarters.