Durango–La Plata County Airport

Coordinates: 37°09′05″N 107°45′14″W / 37.15139°N 107.75389°W / 37.15139; -107.75389
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the airport in Durango, Colorado, United States. For the airport in Durango, Mexico, see
General Guadalupe Victoria International Airport
.

Durango–La Plata County Airport
AMSL
6,685 ft / 2,038 m
Coordinates37°09′05″N 107°45′14″W / 37.15139°N 107.75389°W / 37.15139; -107.75389
Websitewww.flydurango.com
Map
DRO is located in Colorado
DRO
DRO
Location of airport in Colorado
DRO is located in the United States
DRO
DRO
DRO (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 9,201 2,804 Asphalt
Statistics
Passenger volume (12 months ending March 2020)387,000
Scheduled flights4,887
Aircraft operations (2019)38,468
Based aircraft (2020)69

Durango–La Plata County Airport (IATA: DRO[3], ICAO: KDRO, FAA LID: DRO) is a city- and county-owned public airport 12 miles southeast of Durango, in La Plata County, Colorado.[1]

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[4] Federal Aviation Administration records say it had 134,386 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[5] 148,077 in 2009 and 163,611 in 2010.[6]

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 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 using McDonnell Douglas MD-80 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 acres (518 ha) at an elevation of 6,685 feet (2,038 m). Its one runway, 3/21, is 9,201 by 150 feet (2,804 x 46 m) asphalt.[1]

For the twelve-month period ending January 1, 2020, the airport had 38,468 aircraft operations, average 105 per day: 70% general aviation, 15% airline, 13% air taxi, and 1% military. In June 2020, there were 69 aircraft based at this airport: 52 single-engine, 9 multi-engine, 5 jet, 1 helicopter, and 2 glider.[1]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
United Airlines Denver[7]
United Express Denver
Seasonal: Houston–Intercontinental[8]

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.

Convair 580 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 Boeing 737 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.[9]

Since the beginning of airline deregulation in 1978, many carriers, small and large, have served Durango:

BAe 146-100 jets. In 1986 Aspen became a United Express feeder carrier for United Airlines
at the carriers' Denver hub. Aspen also flew to Albuquerque briefly in 1979 and again for the winter 1989–90 ski season.

Beechcraft 1900Cs
.

Zia Airlines flew commuter flights to Albuquerque in early 1980 using Handley Page Jetstreams.

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

Piper Navajos
.

Beechcraft C99s
.

Canadair CRJ-900
aircraft a short time later and continue operating today.

Pioneer Airlines flew to Albuquerque and Denver in 1982 and 1983 using Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners
.

Convair 580
aircraft as well.

America West Airlines operated mainline Boeing 737 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 Mesa Airlines as America West Express.

Britt Airways followed Rocky Mountain Airways by operating Denver flights as Continental Express from 1991 through 1994 using Beechcraft 1900s and ATR 42s.

GP Express then followed Britt Airways by operating Continental Connection service to Denver from 1994 through 1995 using Beechcraft 1900s.

American Airlines began ski season service during the winter of 1994–95 with flights to Dallas/Fort Worth using McDonnell Douglas MD-80 mainline jets. The service continued for seven winter ski seasons, ending with the 2000–01 season.

Reno Air operated one daily flight to Albuquerque which continued on to Los Angeles for the 1996–97 ski season. A McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jet was used.

Air 21 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
jet.

Mountain Air Express operating on behalf of Western Pacific Airlines served Durango from Colorado Springs during the 1996/1997 ski season. The carrier used Dornier 328 prop aircraft.

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

GoJet began in 2014 with CRJ-700's and Trans States Airlines 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
.

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

Embraer EMB-145
regional jets.

Canadair CRJ-200
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

Embraer EMB-190 regional jets operated by Republic Airways then upgraded again from 2013 through 2014 using Frontier Airlines mainline Airbus A319s. All service ended on October 25, 2014. In June 2021, Frontier returned to Durango with nonstop service to Denver and Las Vegas.[10]

Embraer 175 aircraft. On March 26, 2023 United Airlines began non-stop mainline flights to Denver using an Airbus A319[11][12][13]

Embraer 175 aircraft.[14]

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from DRO (April 2022 - March 2023)[2]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Denver, Colorado 96,000 United
2 Dallas, Texas 57,000 American
3
Phoenix, Arizona
 37,000 American
4 Las Vegas, Nevada 1,710 Allegiant

Carrier shares

Airline Market Shares (April 2022 - March 2023)
Rank Airline Passengers Market Share
1 SkyWest 273,000 71.47%
2 Mesa 42,770 11.21%
3 Envoy 23,960 6.28%
4 Commute 20,620 5.40%
5 Commutair 11.71% 3.07%

Accidents and incidents

  • On December 31, 1981, Sun West Airlines 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.[15]
  • On January 19, 1988, Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286, operating as a Continental Express 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.[16]
  • On February 2, 1988, Aspen Airways, operating as United Express 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.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^
    PDF
    . Federal Aviation Administration. effective June 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Durango County (DRO) Summary Statistics". Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (DRO: Durango / La Plata)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  4. ^ "NPIAS Report 2019-2023 Appendix A" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 3, 2018. p. 24. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  6. ^ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  7. ^ https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/united-airbus-begins-servicing-durango-la-plata-county-airport/
  8. ^ https://www.the-journal.com/articles/united-airlines-to-offer-flights-this-summer-between-durango-and-houston/
  9. ^ Frontier Airlines timetables
  10. ^ "Frontier Airlines Lands in Durango with Nonstop Denver Flights".
  11. ^ https://www.durangoherald.com/articles/united-airbus-begins-servicing-durango-la-plata-county-airport/
  12. ^ System timetables from all the airlines that have served Durango
  13. ^ American Express SkyGuide
  14. ^ https://www.the-journal.com/articles/united-airlines-to-offer-flights-this-summer-between-durango-and-houston/
  15. ^ Aviation Accident Report AAR-82-13-NTSB
  16. ^ Plane Crash Kills Eight in Colo.; Survivors Hike Out
  17. ^ ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 N5808 Durango-La Plata County Airport

External links

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