Aspen Pitkin County Airport
An Airport Layout Plan (ALP) is a scaled, graphical presentation of the existing and future airport facilities, their location on the airport campus, and pertinent clearance and dimensional information. The ALP is a major product of the Master Plan Update which contains information used by the FAA to program future funding assistance and to monitor the airport’s compliance with design standards and grant assurances.
The Pitkin Board of County Commissioners approved an Airport Layout Plan on May 1st.
The Airport Advisory Board creates a formalized structure for community members to get involved and provide advice on how the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) can accommodate the community’s air service needs and reflect changes in the air service and aviation industry, while also remaining true to the character and values of the community. Creation of this board is in recognition of the fact that the activities of the airport affect the community in myriad ways requiring governance and ongoing community input.
The board meets the third Thursday of each month from 3:00-5:00 PM at the Airport Operations Center.
See full agendas here.
4/5/23 - Newsletter Notice of FAA meeting
4/18/23 - Newsletter Notice of Airport Open House
4/26/23 - ACRA at Work Summary and Links to BOD presentations
5/10/23 - Social Airport tour
6/21/23 - ACRA ASE Resource Page created
6/27/23 - ACRA at Work Notice of Public Hearing with link to BOD letter
6/27/23 - Social Notice of Public Hearing with link to BOD letter
6/28/23 - Newsletter Notice of Public Hearing with link to BOD letter
7/11/23 - Social Notice of Public Hearing with meeting participation link
7/12/23 - Newsletter Notice of Public Hearing with meeting participation link
8/16/23 - Social Notice of Public Hearing Airport Advisory Board
8/30/23 - Newsletter Announcement of ASE newsletter
9/6/23 - Newsletter Poll of member's awareness of the ALP
9/27/23 - Newsletter Poll results
11/21/23 - Aspen Affairs ALP Interview (see below)
12/27/23 - Newsletter Aspen Affairs ASE Episode link
1/16/24 - Social Notice of Public Hearing Airport Advisory Board
3/4/24 - Newsletter Joint Airport Advisory Board/BOCC notice
3/11/24 - Social Notice of Joint Airport Advisory Board/BOCC
4/1/24 - Newsletter ALP 1st reading notice
4/10/24 - Social Notice of ALP 1st reading
In this episode of Aspen Affairs, ACRA's Public Affairs Manager Alycin Bektesh speaks with Dan Batholomew, airport director at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, and Jacquelyn Francis, chair of the Airport Advisory Board, about a process the airport is moving through to modernize its property -- the airfield and the landside, which includes plans for a new terminal.
On July 12th the Pitkin BOCC approved a fleet mix resolution for the ASE.
The formal resolution can be viewed here.
To view the full meeting agenda and other packet materials, click here.
Leading up to this vote the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) and its Board of Directors and Public Affairs Committee drafted a letter to express support for the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Layout Plan (ALP) process.
The consensus occurred following the background and fact findings below.
Background
1. A new Airport Layout Plan ("ALP") must be approved by the BOCC. The new plan involves the approval of a specific 'design aircraft' (i.e., an A220-300) that has been mandated by the FAA. This particular aircraft has a wingspan in excess of 95 feet.
2. County staff and consultants have tried other approaches with the FAA, which involved different aircraft more to our community’s liking, but they have all been rejected.
3. The FAA has made it clear that the county adopt this approach if it desires approval of future Federal funding. Such funding would include allocations for replacing the airport's existing runway, which has a remaining useful life of just a few years.
4. Without the approval of the new ALP, the County cannot move forward with the replacement of the existing commercial terminal building and other important improvements at the airport.
5. Without the prompt approval of the new ALP, the county runs the risk of reduced federal funding that could possibly put future commercial airline service at ASE in jeopardy.
6. This option for the BOCC to run the FBO itself has been thoroughly evaluated. Significantly, self-management by the county will not create a path to expeditiously finance a badly needed replacement of the existing commercial terminal building. Bond underwriters will not finance the income stream of a county-run FBO before it achieves a lengthy track record of safe and successful operations. Besides, the preparation for such a complex takeover would take between two and three years and thereby transcend the expiration of the existing Atlantic lease in less than five months.
The business community is encouraged to support for the BOCC to promptly file certain critical documentation with the FAA. The submission of such documentation is an essential prerequisite to obtaining FAA funding for the Airport's reconstruction, without which our local economy could be in jeopardy. The queue for such federal funds is already long and the amounts are dwindling.
Share your thoughts with ACRA through our open ended feedback form.
You may write to the Airport Advisory Board at [email protected] and the Pitkin County BOCC here.
ASE has created a FAQ pages based on public forums, community events, letters to the editor, guest columns and paid advertising.
View the FAQ answers here.
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April 26, 2024
ACRA implores officials to upgrade local airport
April 11, 2024
Commissioners vote 5-0 to move runway west
Feb 16, 2024
FAA threatens to cut off Pitkin County airport funding
Dec 26, 2023
Airport advisors support sending ALP update to federal agency
Dec 17, 2023
Imminence of CRJ-700 retirement overstated in initial ASE expansion studies
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