DETROIT — The Wayne County Airport Authority has canceled plans to move forward with a proposed bar lounge concept at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), citing financial and economic uncertainty following the closure of Spirit Airlines and concluding that now is not the right time to introduce a new, untested concession at the airport.

The decision was announced during the Airport Authority Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, July 15, when Airport Authority President and CEO Chad Newton said the authority was withdrawing the Request for Proposals (RFP) issued on October 1, 2025, to solicit bids for the project.

Newton said the decision followed an extensive review conducted by the authority’s executive leadership team, which was tasked with evaluating the proposed concession and conducting the necessary due diligence.

“I have accepted the recommendations from my key executives tasked to conduct due diligence on the cigar lounge concession concept,” Newton said in a statement presented during the meeting. “After extensive analysis, they concluded that in light of the temporary financial and economic uncertainty caused by the closure of Spirit Airlines, now is not the time to promote novel or untested concessions at DTW. I agree with the conclusion and have directed that the RFP be canceled.”

The proposed project called for a bar lounge concept featuring food service, retail cigar sales and an enclosed cigar-smoking area inside the airport. The RFP also required bidders to install a state-of-the-art air handling and ventilation system, along with a facility design that would reduce smoke exposure to travelers and airport employees to the greatest extent possible.

With the cancellation of the RFP, the Airport Authority has officially halted the project. Officials did not indicate whether the proposal could be reissued if economic conditions improve or whether the space will be considered for another commercial concession in the future.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is Michigan’s largest airport, welcoming more than 33 million passengers in 2025. One of the world’s leading air transportation hubs, DTW offers service through 17 scheduled passenger airlines, operating approximately 800 flights daily to and from more than 125 nonstop destinations across three continents.

The Wayne County Airport Authority also operates Willow Run Airport, an important facility for corporate aviation, cargo operations and general aviation. The authority is entirely self-sustaining and does not receive taxpayer funding to support airport operations.