Telluride Regional Airport has challenging runway terrain
By Collin McRann
Staff Reporter
With a recently approved $500,000 transportation grant, the Telluride Regional Airport has started planning some airport improvements — specifically new runway approaches.
Improved approaches could allow slightly bigger 76-seat planes to land at the airport. While much of the plan is still pending, the airport has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration and an airline on the project. If things go as planned, the approaches could be in service by winter 2013.
During Thursday’s Telluride Montrose Regional Air Organization meeting, Airport Manager Richard Nuttall outlined the project thus far. He said the airport has difficult terrain to work with, and the design stage of the project might present challenges.
“The process takes a long time,” Nuttall said. “We’re still about a year out — designing, developing and publishing [details] for an approach. So the target date is an October publication date of next year. If that’s the case, then we should hopefully be able to start service with in the winter of 2013-2014.”
The grant was awarded earlier this month and is to be used over a two-year period to help the airport attract new service.
If things go as planned, the airport would like see a trial period take place with just two of the larger planes landing at the airport per week. The planes are likely to fly from the West Coast, specifically Los Angles — though everything is preliminary.
TMRAO Director Scott Stewart said the trial period plan could work because most flight schedules are set during the summer. He said by next summer airport officials will know if such a plan is possible.
Nuttall said the two flights per week plan is ideal because the airport would not have to add any infrastructure to its existing terminal.
“We don’t want to make a huge investment and then after four months they decide they don’t want to come back,” Nuttall told the board. “So if we do this test over the winter and that’s successful and they all want to come back and increase their flights, then we go ahead and do the improvements in the summer and be ready for the next season.”
The airport should know by June of next year if the plan is progressing enough to see the trial period happen by fall.
The grant’s language requires the airport to have something executed within a 12-month period. The airport also plans to have a status report done by January and possibly an airline contract by June.
For more information on this or Telluride area real estate, please contact Telluride Real Estate Corp. at 970-728-3111, 970-728-6655, info@telluriderealestatecorp.com and www.telluriderealestatecorp.com.
Improved approaches could allow slightly bigger 76-seat planes to land at the airport. While much of the plan is still pending, the airport has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration and an airline on the project. If things go as planned, the approaches could be in service by winter 2013.
During Thursday’s Telluride Montrose Regional Air Organization meeting, Airport Manager Richard Nuttall outlined the project thus far. He said the airport has difficult terrain to work with, and the design stage of the project might present challenges.
“The process takes a long time,” Nuttall said. “We’re still about a year out — designing, developing and publishing [details] for an approach. So the target date is an October publication date of next year. If that’s the case, then we should hopefully be able to start service with in the winter of 2013-2014.”
The grant was awarded earlier this month and is to be used over a two-year period to help the airport attract new service.
If things go as planned, the airport would like see a trial period take place with just two of the larger planes landing at the airport per week. The planes are likely to fly from the West Coast, specifically Los Angles — though everything is preliminary.
TMRAO Director Scott Stewart said the trial period plan could work because most flight schedules are set during the summer. He said by next summer airport officials will know if such a plan is possible.
Nuttall said the two flights per week plan is ideal because the airport would not have to add any infrastructure to its existing terminal.
“We don’t want to make a huge investment and then after four months they decide they don’t want to come back,” Nuttall told the board. “So if we do this test over the winter and that’s successful and they all want to come back and increase their flights, then we go ahead and do the improvements in the summer and be ready for the next season.”
The airport should know by June of next year if the plan is progressing enough to see the trial period happen by fall.
The grant’s language requires the airport to have something executed within a 12-month period. The airport also plans to have a status report done by January and possibly an airline contract by June.
For more information on this or Telluride area real estate, please contact Telluride Real Estate Corp. at 970-728-3111, 970-728-6655, info@telluriderealestatecorp.com and www.telluriderealestatecorp.com.
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