Grosse Ile Airport — A Historic Asset Positioning for the Next Era of Mobility

 Grosse Ile Municipal Airport

With roots as a former naval air station and nearly a century of continuous operation, Grosse Ile Municipal Airport has long served as a uniquely adaptable aviation asset within Southeast Michigan. Positioned along the Detroit River, the airport has historically operated at the intersection of air, land, and water—supporting military operations, general aviation, and regional connectivity across multiple modes.

That legacy is not just historical context.

It is a foundation.

As Advanced Air Mobility begins to take shape, the environments best suited to support it are not always new—they are the ones that already reflect the complexity AAM will require. Airspace coordination, multimodal access, and operational flexibility are not future needs at Grosse Ile—they are existing conditions.

That is what makes the airport’s current positioning so relevant.

As Airport Director Janel Macnee explains:

“Advanced Air Mobility represents the next evolution for Grosse Ile—transforming the airport into a true multimodal hub that connects air, land, and water. Our goal is to create an environment where innovation can be tested, demonstrated, and integrated into real-world operations—setting the example for others to follow.”

This is not a pivot.

It is a continuation.

Bringing the System Together — The eMobility Summit

Grosse Ile is taking action with the

Multi-Modal eMobility Summit

https://www.cleanfuelsmichigan.org/event/multi-modal-emobility-summit/

The summit is not being framed as a traditional conference, but as a live, integrated mobility environment—bringing together partners across aviation, ground transportation, and maritime systems to engage directly with emerging technologies, including Advanced Air Mobility.

What makes this significant is not just the mix of participants, but the structure of the environment itself.

Grosse Ile offers something few locations can:

• A functioning airport with active airspace

• Immediate access to waterfront infrastructure

• Direct connectivity to regional ground transportation networks

That combination allows for something more than discussion.

It enables real interaction across modes—where technologies can be demonstrated in context, where operators and public agencies can engage directly, and where concepts can begin to translate into practical application.

For an industry still working to close the gap between concept and deployment, that matters.

Because one of the biggest challenges facing AAM today is not technical—it is experiential. Stakeholders need to see how these systems function, how they integrate, and where they fit within existing infrastructure.

This is the type of environment that makes that possible.

As Macnee describes:

“The eMobility Summit is about bringing that vision to life. By convening partners across industries and modes, we’re creating a space where emerging mobility solutions can move from concept into application.”

Why This Matters

Grosse Ile is not waiting for AAM to arrive.

It is actively shaping how it is introduced—using existing infrastructure, real operating conditions, and cross-sector collaboration to bring clarity to what AAM actually looks like in practice.

In doing so, it highlights something increasingly important for the industry:

AAM does not need to begin with large-scale investment or fully built-out systems. It can start with environments that already exist—when those environments are aligned, activated, and opened to the right partners.

That is what Grosse Ile is demonstrating.

Not just what AAM could become—but how it begins.

And in that sense, it offers more than a local example.

It provides a model others can follow.