Durango–La Plata County Airport is a city- and county-owned public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

12 miles southeast of Durango, in

La Plata County, Colorado La Plata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,638. The county seat is Durango. The county was named for the La Plata River and the La Plata Mountains. "La plata" means "the ...

. It is included in the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

(FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.

records say it had 134,386 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 148,077 in 2009 and 163,611 in 2010.

History

La Plata County Airport opened to commercial airline service in 1946. During the summer of 1977 the airport was closed so the terminal building could be expanded and the runway was lengthened to handle jet traffic. Frontier Airlines then began operating

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...

jets to the airport in the fall of 1977. The terminal was greatly expanded again in the 1990s as the airport began seeing a great increase in ski traffic and new service by

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

using

McDonnell Douglas MD-80 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...

jets. During the 2000s the airport continued to court additional service by new airlines while luring passenger traffic away from the Four Corners Regional Airport serving nearby Farmington, New Mexico.

Facilities

The airport covers 1,281

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

s (518 ha) at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

of 6,685 feet (2,038 m). Its one

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

, 3/21, is 9,201 by 150 feet (2,804 x 46 m) asphalt. For the twelve-month period ending January 1, 2020, the airport had 38,468 aircraft operations, average 105 per day: 70%

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

, 15% airline, 13%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) ...

, and 1% military. In June 2020, there were 69 aircraft based at this airport: 52 single-

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

, 9 multi-engine, 5 jet, 1

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

, and 2

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The airport has three boarding gates, five plane stands, a pre-security restaurant, and a gift shop. It has free wi-fi internet throughout the passenger terminal.

Historical airline service

The first scheduled airline service to the La Plata County Airport began on November 27, 1946, when Monarch Air Lines initiated flights to Denver with stops at Monte Vista, Canon City, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Douglas DC-3 aircraft were used. By April 1, 1947, new routes were added to Albuquerque and Salt Lake City, each making several stops en route. Durango would be the connecting hub for the three routes. On June 1, 1950, Monarch was merged into

Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...

and a new route to Phoenix was added making five stops. The flights to Albuquerque and Salt Lake City had ended in the early 1950s as they were redirected through Farmington, New Mexico which then became Frontier's connecting hub for the four corners states. In 1959 Frontier acquired 44-passenger

Convair 340 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inr ...

aircraft and new nonstop flights were added from Durango to Denver as well as new flights to Phoenix and Tucson that only stopped in Farmington. By 1966 the

s had been upgraded to

Convair 580 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

turboprop aircraft and all of the original Douglas DC-3 aircraft had been retired. Direct flights to Albuquerque were reinstated in 1969. During the summer of 1977, the La Plata County Airport was closed so that the main runway could be extended to handle jet traffic. Frontier Airlines then initiated the first jets to the airport in November 1977 with

flights to Denver making one stop in Pueblo, Colorado. Weekend flights were also added to Dallas/Fort Worth for the 1977–78 ski season. The flights to Phoenix, still operating with Convair 580s, were discontinued in 1979 and flights to Albuquerque ended in 1981. On June 1, 1982, Frontier had retired its Convair 580 aircraft fleet and was operating all 737 jets at Durango, now with nonstop flights to Denver and return flights stopping in Farmington. More weekend ski season jet flights were added to Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, and Los Angeles for the 1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85 winter ski seasons. The 737 jets to Denver ended on October 1, 1984, and were replaced with Convair 580s operated by Frontier Commuter. Frontier Commuter ended all service in January 1985 and after Frontier's ski season flights ended by April 1, 1985, all Frontier representation at Durango was discontinued. Since the beginning of airline deregulation in 1978, many carriers, small and large, have served Durango:

Aspen Airways Aspen Airways was an airline carrier and regional affiliate of United Express and based in Hangar 5 in Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. Aspen ceased operations on April 1, 1990, when separate portions of the airline were acqu ...

flew to Denver from late 1978 through 1990 using

s and in 1985 introduced

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marcon ...

BAe 146-100 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro International ...

jets. In 1986 Aspen became a

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

feeder carrier for

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

at the carriers' Denver hub. Aspen also flew to Albuquerque briefly in 1979 and again for the winter 1989–90 ski season.

Rocky Mountain Airways Rocky Mountain Airways was an American commuter airline headquartered in Hangar No. 6 of Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. It was sold to Texas Air Corporation/Continental Airlines in 1986 and was operated as a Continental Expr ...

briefly flew to Denver in January 1979 using

de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, d ...

s. The carrier returned from 1987 through 1991 operating as

Continental Express Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of the merger ...

again using Dash-7s as well as ATR 42s, and

Beechcraft 1900C The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With ...

s. Zia Airlines flew commuter flights to Albuquerque in early 1980 using

Handley Page Jetstream The Handley Page HP.137 Jetstream is a small twin-turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage. The aircraft was designed to meet the requirements of the United States commuter and regional airline market. The design was later improved and bu ...

s. Desert Pacific Airlines flew to Los Angeles in 1980 making five stops en route and using

Piper Navajo The Piper PA-31 Navajo is a family of cabin-class, twin-engined aircraft designed and built by Piper Aircraft for the general aviation market, most using Lycoming engines. It was also license-built in a number of Latin America Latin Ameri ...

Sun West Airlines Sun West Airlines was a commuter airline that flew in the Southwestern United States from 1980 through 1985. Hubs were operated at Phoenix, Arizona and Albuquerque, New Mexico. History Sun West Airlines began in early 1980 with Piper Navajo Chi ...

flew to Albuquerque and Phoenix from 1980 through 1984 using

s and later upgrading to

Beechcraft C99 The Beechcraft Model 99 is a civilian aircraft produced by Beechcraft. It is also known as the Beech 99 Airliner and the Commuter 99. The 99 is a twin-engine, unpressurized, 15 to 17 passenger seat turboprop aircraft, derived from the earlier Be ...

Mesa Airlines Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air ...

operated multiple services at Durango. Flights to Albuquerque began in 1983 with

s, later upgrading to Beechcraft 1900Ds and the Albuquerque flights were operated on and off through 2005. Service to Denver began in 1990 as

and continued into 1998 using Beechcraft 1300s and 1900s and later upgraded with

Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop 30-passenger commuter airliner designed and manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The EMB 120 began development during 1974. While initially conceived as a modular series of ...

s and

de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier Aerospace, Bombard ...

s. Service to Phoenix began in 1987 and was changed to

America West Express America West Express was the brand name for America West Airlines commuter and regional flights operated by Mesa Air Group's Mesa Airlines under a code share agreement. Today Mesa Airlines operates for American Eagle. Mesa Airlines operated Am ...

in 1992. Beechcraft 1900s, Embraer Brasilia's and Dash-8's were all used.

Canadair CRJ-200 The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 (previously Canadair CRJ100 and CRJ200) is a regional jet designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace between 1991 and 2006, the first of the Bombardier CRJ family. The ''Canadair Regional Jet'' (CRJ) pro ...

regional jets were introduced in 1999.

America West Airlines America West Airlines was a major American airline, founded in 1981, with service commencing in 1983, and having reached US$1 billion in annual revenue in 1989, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. At the time of its acquisition of US Airways, Americ ...

merged into

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon ...

in 2007 at which time the Phoenix flights began operating as

US Airways Express US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously ...

. Then in 2015

merged into

which changed the Phoenix flights to

American Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

. All flights were upgraded with Canadair CRJ-900 aircraft a short time later and continue operating today.

Pioneer Airlines Essair (short for ''Efficiency, Safety, and Speed in the Air'') was incorporated in 1939, the first airline authorized by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board ( CAB) to fly as a "local service" air carrier in the United States. It changed its name ...

flew to Albuquerque and Denver in 1982 and 1983 using

Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

Trans-Colorado Airlines Trans-Colorado Airlines was a United States airline based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It operated from August 1980 until July 1988. The airline operated flights for Continental Airlines under the Continental Express banner beginning in 1986. ...

began Durango service in mid 1983 with service to Denver and later added flights to Albuquerque and Colorado Springs using

s. The carrier became a

feeder in 1986 and continued the Denver flights through 1988 adding the

aircraft as well.

operated mainline

jet service to Phoenix from 1984 through 1991. Some flights would stop at Albuquerque or Grand Junction. The 737 jets were replaced with Dash-8 props from 1991 through 1992 then service was contracted out to

Britt Airways Britt Airways was a United States airline established as Vercoa Air Service in 1964 and renamed to Britt Airlines when it was purchased by William and Marilyn Britt in 1975 later on ''Britt Airways''. It was based in Terre Haute, Indiana until 19 ...

followed Rocky Mountain Airways by operating Denver flights as

from 1991 through 1994 using Beechcraft 1900s and ATR 42s. GP Express then followed Britt Airways by operating

Continental Connection Continental Connection was a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operated services marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines. As such, all Continental Connection banner carrier services were oper ...

service to Denver from 1994 through 1995 using Beechcraft 1900s.

began ski season service during the winter of 1994–95 with flights to Dallas/Fort Worth using

mainline jets. The service continued for seven winter ski seasons, ending with the 2000–01 season.

Reno Air Reno Air was a scheduled passenger airline headquartered in Reno, Nevada, United States. Reno Air provided service from its hubs at Reno/Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California and La ...

operated one daily flight to Albuquerque which continued on to Los Angeles for the 1996–97 ski season. A

jet was used.

Air 21 Air21 Airlines was a short-lived United States airline based in Fresno, California, led by Mark Morro, founded by David Miller and co-founded by David J. VanderLugt. The airline operated five Fokker F28 Fellowship 64-passenger twin engine jet a ...

flew a single daily flight to Grand Junction, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Fresno for a short time in late 1996 using a

Fokker F28 Fellowship The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a twin-engined, short-range jet airliner designed and built by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. Following the Fokker F27 Friendship, an early and commercially successful turboprop-powered regional airliner, Fokk ...

jet. Mountain Air Express operating on behalf of

Western Pacific Airlines Western Pacific Airlines, or WestPac, was an airline which operated in the United States from 1995 to 1998. A low-cost carrier, it was formed in 1994 under the name Commercial Air, later changed to Western Pacific, and began operating schedul ...

served Durango from Colorado Springs during the 1996/1997 ski season. The carrier used

Dornier 328 The Dornier 328 is a turboprop-powered commuter airliner. Initially produced by Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH, the firm was acquired in 1996 by Fairchild Aircraft. The resulting firm, named Fairchild-Dornier, manufactured the 328 family in Oberpfaffen ...

prop aircraft. Rio Grande Air flew commuter flights to Albuquerque from 2000 through 2002 using Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft.

service to Denver was transferred in 1998 from

Air Wisconsin Air Wisconsin Airlines is a regional airline based at Appleton International Airport in the town of Greenville, Wisconsin near Appleton. Air Wisconsin originally operated as one of the original United Express partners in 1985, and operated ...

, and

Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport. As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...

. Air Wisconsin flew

prop and

BAe-146 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro International ...

jets through 2003. Great Lakes flew Beechcraft 1900Ds through 2001.

returned with Dash-8 flights to Denver from 2003 through 2010. SkyWest Airlines began

flights in 2001 with Embraer Brasilia's and service continues today, now with all regional jets.

ExpressJet ExpressJet Airlines was a regional U.S. airline headquartered in College Park, Georgia. The company originally operated as a contracted codeshare partner, flying under the American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express brands at variou ...

flew Embraer-145's from 2010 through 2015. Republic Airways began flights in 2012 with Dash-8-Q400's and later upgraded with Embraer 170's and 175's. GoJet began in 2014 with CRJ-700's and

Trans States Airlines Trans States Airlines was a regional airline owned by Trans States Holdings and headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri. At the time of its closing, the airline operated flights for United Airlines under the United Express brand. Trans States Airlin ...

in 2015 with Embraer-145's, all to Denver. New Saturday only flights were added in the summer of 2019 to Chicago and Houston by SkyWest Airlines.

began serving Durango from Dallas/Fort Worth from December 2001 through September 2002. The service returned in mid 2011 and has operated year-round since. Embraer EMB-135 and

Embraer EMB-145 The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passen ...

regional jets were first used. American Eagle service to Phoenix was added in late 2015 operated by both Mesa Airlines and SkyWest after American and US Airways merged. American Eagle service to Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix is now solely provided by

using Canadair CRJ-900 regional jets. Seasonal Saturday only flights during the summer are now flown to Chicago and Los Angeles by SkyWest Airlines.

service operated by

flew to Houston from December 2001 through September 2002 then again for the winter 2002–03 ski season using

regional jets.

Delta Connection Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...

service operated by SkyWest Airlines flew to Salt Lake City from mid-2006 through late 2008 using

regional jets. This daily service resumed on May 5, 2021, before ending on November 1, 2021, leaving only American, United, and Frontier Airlines flying to Durango–La Plata County Airport. The new Frontier Airlines provided service to Denver at first by way of its subsidiary company,

Lynx Aviation Lynx Aviation, Inc. was a regional airline based in Denver, Colorado, United States. The airline began as a sister company to, and operated feeder service for, Frontier Airlines. The Lynx name plays off of the tail pictures of its planes, speci ...

, using de Havilland Canada DHC-8-402 Q400 prop aircraft from April 22, 2008, through 2011. Service was upgraded in 2012 to Embraer EMB-190 regional jets operated by Republic Airways then upgraded again from 2013 through 2014 using Frontier Airlines mainline

Airbus A319 The Airbus A319 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. The A319 carries 124 to 156 passengers and has a maximum range of . Final assem ...

s. All service ended on October 25, 2014. In June 2021, Frontier returned to Durango with nonstop service to Denver and Las Vegas. All flights now are regional jets.

, flying for

, has year round nonstops to Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix on Canadair CRJ-900s and operates summer weekend seasonal flights to Los Angeles.

flights nonstop to Denver are flown on

Canadair CRJ-700 The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are a family of regional jet airliners that were designed and manufactured by Canadian transportation conglomerate Bombardier (formerly Canadair) between 1999 and 2020. Their design was derived from t ...

Embraer ERJ-145 The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passenger ...

, and

Embraer 175 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ...

aircraft.

Statistics

Top destinations

Carrier shares

Accidents and incidents

* On December 31, 1981,

Flight 104, a Piper Navajo Chieftain from Albuquerque, crashed while executing a missed approach in marginal weather to Durango–La Plata County Airport. The pilot and three of the five passengers on board were killed. * On January 19, 1988,

Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 (operating as Continental Express Flight 2286) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Denver, Colorado, to Durango, Colorado, operated for Continental Express by Trans-Colorado Airlines. On 19 Januar ...

, operating as a

feeder flight from Denver to Cortez, Colorado with a stop in Durango, crashed while on approach to Durango-La Plata Airport. Nine of the 17 passengers and crew on board were killed in the accident. * On February 2, 1988,

, operating as

flight 3749 from Denver, a Convair 580 aircraft, drifted off a snow-packed runway at night while landing at Durango and crashed into a snowbank. All 38 passengers and crew of three survived.ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5808 Durango-La Plata County Airport

References

External links

* at City of Durango website
Durango–La Plata County Airport (DRO)
at

Colorado DOT The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that administers state government transportation responsibilities in the state of Colorado. CDOT is responsible f ...

airport directory
Aerial image as of September 1993
from

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

The National Map ''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the effort is to pro ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Durango-La Plata County Airport Airports in Colorado Transportation buildings and structures in La Plata County, Colorado