The proposed Durango airport expansion has triggered strong opinions on both sides.
On one side, there are people who travel a lot saying the airport is not a perfect fit but suits their needs. Others say they are really frustrated with flight delays and cancellations.
Many of the arguments for the expansion are very technical and most of us don’t have the background to challenge the findings. I did my own research to find the facts rather than just relying on the consultants’ study on the airport expansion.
The following are my key findings:
The real reason for past double-digit passenger growth was not correctly identified in the study. Airport passengers declined in 2015 and 2016.Expanding the airport will not improve flight delays and cancellations. FAA data shows that on-time arrival and departures in Durango are similar to other regional mountain airports.Most frequent fliers have not experienced significant check-in or security delays since 2014. There is no written documentation from the Federal Aviation Authority confirming they will pay for half of the expansion cost.There is a direct correlation between enplanements and drilling activity both here and in other oil and gas production regions. The passenger growth turned to a decline when oil and gas prices drastically declined in 2014-15. It’s impossible to predict when the decline will stabilize and what the future passenger growth trend will be.One argument for the airport expansion is attracting a discount airline. According to the Department of Transportation, the price of airline tickets increased by $70 after the discount airline Frontier left. If you fly one time per year, that basically offsets the tax increase for the average property owner. The county has a significant budget deficit this year and that trend might continue. Is it prudent to take on debt for the airport expansion given the county’s financial difficulties?Finally, we really do need to improve delays with baggage claim. But I am confident solutions can be found for less than the cost of the airport expansion.Please vote this fall.
Dave Peters
Durango
