Baltimore leaders approved a new lease for the city police aviation unit at Martin State Airport this week, although talks are ongoing to build a headquarters for the helicopters in Canton.

The lease, which renews Baltimore’s agreement with the state-owned airport in Baltimore County for another five years, was approved unanimously by the mayor-controlled Board of Estimates Wednesday without discussion.

But the new lease is significantly easier for the city to break than the previous agreement, as Baltimore considers relocating its helicopter fleet to Canton.

Baltimore Police have been leasing space for their three-helicopter aviation unit at Martin State Airport since the fleet got off the ground in 1970. Used for car chases, tracking suspects and crowd control, the fleet has flown continuously except for a three-year span following a 1998 crash that claimed the life of a city officer.

The deal approved Wednesday calls for the city to spend $386,764 in 2026, the first year of the lease. That price escalates to $435,307 in 2030.

Earlier this year, The Baltimore Banner reported that the city was making plans to move the fleet to a new headquarters at a heliport in Canton owned by developer Scott Plank. Maryland lawmakers allocated $750,000 to back the project at the request of Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson.

This week, officials with Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration said little about the plans other than that they are still on the table. Lindsey Eldridge, spokeswoman for Baltimore Police, said “discussions and negotiations” are ongoing. She declined to answer questions about design work that has been performed and the timing of a potential move.

City officials have previously declined to provide a cost estimate for the facility. Ferguson said earlier this year he believed the price tag to be about $6 million.

Councilman Mark Parker, who represents Canton and the surrounding neighborhoods in South Baltimore, said he believes the the project to be moving forward. Parker previously toured the heliport, which sits on the narrow Pier 7, with Plank. The councilman said he last spoke to the developer about the progress in the fall.

“My understanding is those conversations are ongoing and are tending in that direction,” Parker said of a new facility.

The Martin State agreement is half the length of the previous lease and can be terminated “for convenience” by either party with 90 days’ written notice. The previous lease, which was signed in 2015 and cost the city $303,000 annually, could be broken if the aviation unit was defunded or if the state redeveloped the airport.

A Banner analysis of flight data found the heliport has seen a substantial increase in use this year without Baltimore Police making the site a headquarters. The number of flights in and out was up by 41% over the first six months compared to the same period in 2024.

Johns Hopkins Lifeline’s medical transport helicopter is stationed at Pier 7 and makes frequent flights, stopping at the hospital’s nearby critical care tower before returning to the pier. Helicopters offering charter flights are also based at the site.

Other flyers make frequent stops at Pier 7 to refuel. Flight records show Maryland State Police, WBAL’s news helicopter, Baltimore Police and the U.S. military are repeat users.

Parker said his office has fielded a “number of questions, concerns and inquiries” about the increase in traffic at the heliport. The councilman noted the city does not control air regulations. Inquiries have been passed along to the state, he said.

Scott and his staff have sent mixed messages on the aviation unit during the mayor’s tenure. With plans to move the headquarters of the fleet still on the table, city budget officials unveiled a 10-year plan this month that calls for using drones to “supplement or even replace” helicopters in the fleet.

The helicopters themselves have been replaced during Scott’s time in office. The latest iteration, three Airbus H125s, were purchased in 2022 for $18 million. Officials said at the time the choppers typically have a 12-year lifespan.