Cites Lack Of Federal Funding Due To Cutbacks

Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (KASE) has been forced to re-think its priorities following a cut in federal funding from the FAA.

The Aspen Times reports that County Manager Jon Peacock said said that plans for a second FBO and a new taxiway are now on hold, as is a planned underground parking facility at the airport. An expected public vote on the acquisition of Burlingame Open Space along Owl Creek Road have also been shelved, according to Peacock.

The county said in a statement that "Airport officials learned over the summer, after a dual (environmental assessment) process had already begun, that (Federal Aviation Administration) funding availability had decreased because of demand from airports around the nation on the FAA’s funding pool."

The county still plans to make runway safety improvements required by the FAA. A new terminal is also still on the books, though that is subject to completion of an environmental assessment, according to the paper.

KASE is currently served by commercial airlines flying mainly CRJ700 regional jets. The proposed improvement would allow operations by Boeing 737 airliners.

"We will be reconfiguring the runway to meet FAA design standards to accommodate aircraft with wider wingspans that will replace the commercial fleet serving Aspen in the coming years," said airport director John Kinney in a statement. "We also need a new terminal to address existing safety and functional issues and to better serve the traveling public.”

FMI: http://aspenairport.com/