Work on a new terminal for the Durango-La Plata County Airport is moving forward, even though elected officials recently decided any potential vote on funding its construction is not likely to happen until 2016.
The La Plata County Commissioners and Durango City Councilors decided to pursue a new terminal on the east side of the runway in March.
But it will require a voter-approved tax increase to help fund about $40 million of the $85 million required for the first phase of construction. The Federal Aviation Administration and other grant sources are expected to pay for the remaining costs.
However, a vote in 2016, if approved, will not delay the project at all, Aviation Director Kip Turner said.
The environmental assessment for the project still is scheduled to start in the fall, and it should take about a little more than a year to complete, Turner said.
“We’re right in tune with where we want to be and need to be,” he said.
In the meantime, the airport is making small improvements, including patching leaks in the roof, buying new seating and possibly replacing some carpet.
“We’re still looking at four or five years before we’re in a new facility,” Turner said.
The airport has seen a slight increase in usage this year – by about 0.8 percent – and Turner expects a strong summer and winter season.
“We’ve got a lot of year left in front of us,” he said.
The number of passengers departing was down in May by about 3.5 percent, compared with the same time period last year, which is the first decline in many months, he said. Turner attributed the decline to Frontier’s departure from Durango. In February, the airline announced it would not provide summer flights from Durango to Denver.
While numbers were down in May, American and U.S. Airways, two airlines currently merging, saw strong gains in terms of passengers leaving from Durango. Both airlines have boarded about 19 percent more passengers this year versus last, and Turner expects the growth trend to continue, despite the merger.
“American is evolving very quickly in our market,” he said.
However, United has seen a 7 percent decline in outgoing passengers so far this year. It could be that some passengers are flying American instead, but Turner said he can’t know for sure why United is seeing numbers slip.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
