Facts & Myths

There are 14 different projects of the Airport Layout Plan: See Pitkin County Modernization projects here. 

CABP is only against one of them: #12

#12: Replace the current ADGIII Airport Layout Plan with an improved ADGIII Airport Layout Plan that accommodates aircraft that meet community goals.

This is County code for increasing the separation of the runway and taxiway to 400 feet, which will then allow wingspans above the current ’95 feet limit. 

This is the key change to allowing bigger planes. 

CABP supports the other 13 project recommendations, including a wider runway.

We will not lose federal funding:

Read the article here.

Expansion not needed for FAA funding:

“During the ASE Vision process, when advocating for a wider runway, airport expansion supporters said that 150 feet was needed to keep the airport safe. Now the FAA is saying only 100 feet is needed to be safe.
Why is that?” Braun said.

ALP Violates Community Goals:

The expansion of the runway and taxiway separation does not meet community goals.

The BOCC gave conditional approval to the Vision Committee recommendations as long as it met Core Community Goals.

The “Core Community Goals for the Pitkin County-Aspen Airport” as outlined in Resolution 105-2020 are:

  1. Safety in the air and on the ground

  2. Reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions by at least 30%

  3. Manage the growth of airline enplanements to be consistent with community growth management plans…(0.8% growth per year)

  4. Reduce noise by at least 30%

However, when the BOCC approved the Airport Demand Forecast in June 2023, they rejected the goals laid out in the ASE Vision Committee. 

There is no evidence that the Airport Demand Forecast approved by BOCC meets any of these criteria. 

ASE IS 83% private planes and jets and only 17% commercial

Nowhere is the march towards unbridled growth in Pitkin County more on display than at the airport where just 17 percent is commercial airlines and 83 percent is private general aviation (GA). Where will all these new airport passengers sleep? Where will they eat and who will serve them? How will they get around? None of these questions of growth have been addressed in expanding the airport.

The expansion and redevelopment of the Aspen Airport will be the most expensive and biggest decision for the future of the Roaring Fork Valley.

Modernization means:

  • Massive growth

  • Increased traffic

  • More noise from 737s and bigger private jets 

  • More Pollution

  • Less safety

  • Increase in passengers to 1,200 a day...
    every day. (40,000 people per month more.)

More and bigger private planes means more growth and community impacts to traffic, noise, air quality and quality of life. 

Population Explosion:

The expansion will cause unbridled GROWTH and a massive increase in passengers to 1,200 a day... every day. (40,000 people per month more.)
There has been no analysis of the impacts to traffic, air quality and noise from the increase in private planes. There will be no limit to airport growth.

The increase in enplaned airline passengers in the County’s ASE forecast is from 298,561 in 2022 to 390,234 in 2042. That increase is 91,673 over 20 years (76%), or 12.52 more people every day for 20 years, or 381 more people every month for 20 years.

The increase in FAA’s TAF forecast of the same quantity is from 291,825 in 2022 to 500,563 in 2050—an increase of 208,738, or an average of 7,455 per year or 621 per month or 20.4 per day for 28 years.

None of this includes General Aviation—only airlines. No one knows how many people come in by GA.

The current ALP calls for 1.2% annual growth per year as opposed to the .08% growth approved by the ASE Vision Process.

ASE is 83 % commercial

The Airlines are not asking for bigger planes. SkyWest said in their Quarterly Earnings Report that they have purchased 19 EA 175s, which has a wingspan of just under 95 feet that will serve Aspen.