Phil Castle, The Business Times

Angela Padalecki enjoys an expansive view from her third-floor office in the terminal building at Grand Junction Regional Airport.

Jet bridges extend from the gates below, and an assortment of airplanes of various types and sizes sit on the apron. In the distance, a jetliner soars into the sky, the Book Cliffs a backdrop to the scene. More distant still, construction proceeds on a new runway, one of the largest projects in Grand Valley history. There’s a lot for Padalecki to see — and oversee as executive director of the airport.

The Grand Junction Regional Airport regained it’s position as the busiest airport in western Colorado in 2023 in terms of commercial airline traffic with nearly 483,000 passengers with tickets purchased for commercial flights traveling through. Padalecki expects even more passengers in 2024 and what could be a record year.

At the same time, 2024 could be a record year at the airport in terms of the amount of construction expected to take place there, she says.

Those two trends sometimes result in conflicts that make managing airport operations more challenging. Padalecki isn’t complaining. Rather, she says she’s thrilled with the growth that’s already occurred as well as the trends she expects to continue. Moreover, she says grateful for the support that’s sustained that growth. “Airports are team sports.”

According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Grand Junction Regional Airport served 482,773 passengers in 2023. That was a
9.3 percent increase from 2022 that made the airport the busiest in western Colorado in terms of commercial airline service.

Montrose Regional Airport was a close second in 2023 with 482,691 passengers. The Montrose airport was the busiest in the region in 2022 with 461,689 passengers.

Padalecki says 2023 was the third-busiest year for passenger service at Grand Junction Regional Airport. The busiest of all was 2021 with 501,250 passengers.

The Department of Transportation numbers don’t take into account the full scope of passenger service at the airport, she says. The actual numbers are higher. But the Department of Transportation numbers are based on a standard and consistent methodology that offers comparisons among airports.

Padalecki says she’s expecting the upward trend in passenger service to continue in 2024 with what she projects as a 5 percent increase that would constitute a record-setting year. That’s based in part on the number of seats airlines serving the Grand Junction Regional Airport have scheduled to offer this year as well as other trends.

Breeze Airways launched a new route in February between Grand Junction and Orange County-Santa Ana in southern California with additional flights between Grand Junction and Provo, Utah.

Breeze Airways plans to offer seasonal service between Grand Junction and San Francisco starting May 2.

Moreover, United Airlines has started using larger airplanes with more seats on flights between Grand Junction and Denver, Padalecki says. That’s a trend in the airline industry to expand service with larger aircraft rather than more flights.

American Airlines provides service between Grand Junction and Dallas and Phoenix. Allegiant offers flights between Grand Junction and Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Airlines offer nonstop flights from Grand Junction to seven destinations, including hubs that in turn connect to more than 200 other destinations, Padalecki says.

Delta Airlines discontinued service between Grand Junction and Salt Lake City, a decision Padalecki says was based on a shortage of pilots, crews and other resources — not a lack of a demand. That led to a decline in the number of passengers served at the Grand Junction Regional Airport in 2022. She says discussions are under way that could lead to a resumption of those flights.

Padalecki tributes growth in commercial passenger services to community support for those services.

That support also includes approval by Grand Junction voters in 2018 of a ballot measure that doubled the city lodging tax from 3 percent to 6 percent. Revenue from the increase was split three ways, with 1 percent going to the Grand Junction Regional Air Service Alliance to support additional direct flights to and from the Grand Junction Regional Airport. That funding enables the alliance to offer incentives that help in sharing the risk to airlines in launching new services, she says.

Even as Padalecki expects passenger service to increase further at the Grand Junction Regional Airport, construction activity also will increase.

Construction continues on a new runway north of the existing runway. The new runway will be the same dimension as the existing runway at 150 feet wide and 10,500-feet long, but will meet new standards for design and safety while also accommodating larger aircraft, she says. The project remains on scheduled for completion in 2030.

At an estimated cost of $200 million, the runway project ranks among the largest in Grand Valley history, Padalecki says. Federal and state grants fund most of the project.

When the new runway opens, the existing runway will be used as a taxiway. Moreover, the location of the new runway 600 feet further north will enable the construction of additional hangars and other buildings at the airport, Padalecki says.

Still other improvements also are planned, she says.

Beyond what she can already see out her window, Padalecki envisions continued growth at the airport. “I’m very excited about that.”