Middletown Regional Airport/Hook Field won’t be sold in the near future, city officials said Wednesday. Instead, the Middletown Airport Commission will form a subcommittee to explore ways to reduce or eliminate the $90,000 annual subsidy to the airport from the city’s general fund.

“Selling the airport outright, or selling off the assets of the airport, is not going to happen,” said Matt Eisenbraun, the city’s economic development program manager and airport liaison.

Details of a Middletown City Council executive session conversation about selling the airport were “leaked” to the public late last year. Eisenbraun said while it was wise to consider that option, selling the airport isn’t a part of the city’s immediate plans, mainly because the repayment of Federal Aviation Administration grants and other hurdles would be too great.

Eisenbraun said a new committee is being formed to develop a plan for what can and should happen at the airport to make it more self-sustaining. Part of those efforts could include helping to find a replacement for Rich Bevis, who resigned as airport manager Dec. 31.

John Hart, owner of Start Skydiving, the airport’s fixed-base operator, signed a 90-day contract to be the airport manager until a permanent manager is found. Details of the contract, including the dollar amount, are still being finalized, according to the city’s law department.

“It just made sense to say, ‘Let’s look at the entire thing,’” Eisenbraun said. “We just need to get a plan together to make things happen.”

City officials tout Hook Field — which has 110 based aircraft and handles more than 40,000 aircraft operations a year — as a valuable economic development tool for Middletown. The airport contains 13 city-owned buildings and a 40,000 gallon above ground aviation fuel storage facility.

“Just as Interstate 75, or any highway, is the front door to the city, the airport is the city’s front door to business travelers, as well as leisure travelers,” said Councilman Joe Mulligan, who sits on the airport commission.

Eisenbraun said the hangers at the airport need to be addressed. He said some of the 66 personal T-hanger units are small, and there are opportunities available for commercial hangers, in addition to development.

“What can we attract and who can we bring in?” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunities there.”

Hart said every tenant will be working to help the committee find ways to reduce the $90,000 subsidy from the city “and make it more viable.”

“A $90,000 deficit isn’t a lot, but we’re going to look at ways to reduce that,” Hart said. “I think the city is being proactive, and like any government right now everybody’s hurting.”

While Hart’s company is the airport manager for the next three months, he said he’ll seek to be the permanent airport manager.

“We’re here on site so we pretty much live it,” Hart said. “It sort of makes sense because we know the pulse of the airport.”