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.

ACRA Outreach Timeline

ACRA prioritizes educating and convening membership, and empowering residents to make their voice heard through public comment channels. You can see the press release regarding recent outreach efforts here, and view the full timeline below.

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

5/16/24 - Social Airport Open House Information

7/1/24 - Newsletter Airport Use Survey (See Results Below)

8/5/24 - Newsletter Notice of Public Hearing on Airport Ballot Measures

8/14/24 - Social Notice of Public Hearing on Airport Ballot Measures

8/14/24 - Listening Session Lodging Sector

8/20/24- Listening Sessions Real Estate, Finance, Professional Sectors

8/21/24 - Listening Session Nonprofit, Service Sectors

8/22/24- Listening Session Real Estate, Restaurant Sectors

8/27/24 - Social Notice of 2nd Reading on Airport Ballot Measures

9/2/24 - 9/23/24 - Survey Made available to all members through newsletter, social media, and direct e mail

Poll Results

Aspen Affairs: Modernization Efforts at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport

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.

Member Q&A

In August of 2024, ACRA invited all members and their employees to join in listening sessions with their board representatives to learn more about the status of ASE and the proposed ballot measures. The below questions were collected during these sessions and the answers are below.

ACRA Listening Sessions: Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Questions & Answers:

Can you explain the physical changes and funding for the proposed airport changes?

The runway would shift 80 feet to the west to meet FAA design standards and remove existing waivers. This would allow for a wider runway, but not a longer one. The FAA typically funds 90% of airport infrastructure projects.

How does the runway shift improve safety?

The increased separation between the runway and taxiway improves overall safety by adhering to FAA design standards. Newer, larger aircraft also have safety benefits like better avionics and quieter engines.

What are the misconceptions about allowing larger aircraft at the airport?

Larger commercial aircraft are often quieter and more efficient than smaller planes. There are misconceptions that it will lead to more private jets or significantly more passengers, which is unlikely.

How will the FAA funding be impacted by the runway project?

The FAA has said they will withhold funding for runway maintenance until the shift is completed, putting financial pressure on the airport to fund the necessary repairs on their own.

What happens if the runway is not realigned and the FAA pulls grant funding?

without the runway realignment, the airport would have to fund costly, recurring runway repairs on its own, as the FAA would no longer provide grant funding. This could divert funds from other airport improvement projects.

What are the implications if the citizens' initiative passes, limiting the county's authority over the airport?

This could lead the FAA to withdraw the airport's modification of standards, forcing the airport to revert to a more restrictive 79-foot wingspan limit. This could result in lawsuits from airlines and private operators, and significantly impact airport operations and capacity.

Is the Embraer E175 aircraft a viable solution that negates the need for runway realignment?

while the E175 fits the current 95-foot wingspan restriction, the FAA is requiring the runway to be realigned to modern safety standards, regardless of the specific aircraft. The E175 does not solve the underlying need to reconstruct the runway.

What are the potential consequences if the FAA removes the current modification of standards that allows the airport to operate with a 95-foot wingspan restriction?

The FAA could revert the airport to a lower classification, preventing the larger E175 aircraft from flying in, or require the airport to "sterilize" the taxiway, significantly reducing operations.

What are the potential impacts if the two ballot measures both pass, but have conflicting provisions?

It's unclear, as it could lead to a legal dispute and potential federal preemption issues with FAA grant assurances.

Can the runway construction be phased to maintain two lanes of traffic during the 8-month closure?

The extensive structural work likely prevents phasing, and a full 8-month closure is expected.

What aircraft size changes are planned for the future at Aspen Airport?

United's plans to replace the CRJ-700 with the quieter, more efficient Embraer E175, maintaining the same 70-seat capacity.

Is there an idea for when the airport will be closed?

The quickest possible timeline would be a shutdown from April 1 to Halloween 2026 for the runway shift reconstruction. There may also be a months-long shutdown in Spring 2025 due to deteriorating pavement conditions that require repairs.

What mitigation for passengers, such as flights to Eagle and planned transit services back and forth to Aspen, are contemplated?

For the spring 2025 shutdown, they are looking into options like shuttle services from Eagle County Airport, but details are still being worked out. For the 2026 extended shutdown, there is potential to keep the terminal open so passengers can go through security and take shuttles to other airports like Eagle and DIA.

Is there coordination planned with potential terminal work?

They would like to coordinate terminal work with the runway reconstruction, but the timing may be challenging as terminal design takes longer. The FAA has funding available for terminal projects, but they want to see progress on the runway shift before approving that funding. The terminal reconstruction grants could assist in up to 90% of the funding for the project instead of the standard 10%, but the grant applications close in August 2025.

What is the potential impact on the airport if the runway improvements do not go through and the current runway continues to deteriorate?

The airport could face extended shutdowns, potentially lasting 1-2 months, if major structural issues arise and the runway can no longer be maintained.

How does the FAA's stance on discrimination and access control limit the ability to restrict private air traffic at the airport?

Dan explained that the FAA prohibits discrimination based on aircraft classification, so the airport cannot limit private flights without also limiting commercial flights.

What are the types of aircraft that could potentially operate at the airport if the runway improvements are made?

Modern aircraft like the Embraer E175 are expected and there is potential for the Airbus A319, but larger 737-type aircraft would still not be able to operate at the airport.

On July 12th, 2023 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 airportadvisoryboard@aspenairport.com 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.

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.