The Grand Junction Regional Airport was awarded a $950,000 grant to incentivize an airline to add nonstop service from Grand Junction to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.

The grant is from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Small Community Air Service Development Program, which is a competitive USDOT grant program designed to help small communities address air service and airfare issues.

In May 2026 Grand Junction Regional Airport submitted its grant application in which the Grand Junction Regional Air Service Alliance committed to $700,000 in matching funds, and the Grand Junction Regional Airport pledged $25,000 in marketing support. In total the project budget is $1,675,000.

The USDOT announced it received 56 eligible applications totaling $48 million in requests. Of those applications they selected 14 for awards totaling almost $12 million. The Grand Junction Regional Airport was the only Colorado airport selected for an award.

“Our top goal is to enhance air-service access for business and leisure travelers through service to new hubs,” Grand Junction Regional Air Service Alliance Board Chair Jay Seaton said. “Leveraging local lodging-tax dollars to secure grant funding to support that goal is a no-brainer.”

Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority Board Chair Linde Marshall said, “Air-service development is a top priority, and it takes a team effort and a full toolbox to reach our ambitious goals. This grant with the matching funds from the Air Service Alliance is a significant catalyst as we pursue nonstop service to Houston.”

Grand Junction Regional Airport currently has nonstop service to five destinations on four different airlines: Denver on United Airlines; Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix on American Airlines; Salt Lake City on Delta Air Lines; and Las Vegas on Breeze Airways.

The Grand Junction Regional Airport served 639,000 passengers in 2025, a record annual total for the airport, and it projects it will serve more than 650,000 passengers in 2026.