Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport is a county-owned, public airport one mile southwest of Gunnison, in

Gunnison County, Colorado Gunnison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,918. The county seat is Gunnison. The county was named for John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer and captain in the Army ...

, United States. Also known as Gunnison County Airport, it serves the

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

and nearby Crested Butte, Colorado, with airline and

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

flights. This airport is in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which called it a ''primary commercial service'' airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

records say it had 36,035 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 42,130 in 2009 and 37,316 in 2010. Passengers at Gunnison are mainly vacationers coming to the area for year-round outdoor activities, such as

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, mountain biking, fishing, rafting, hiking and camping. The terminal is one large building with two jetbridge gates, two ground-level gates, and a variety of rental car or shuttle bus companies. One baggage claim area in the lower lobby level houses a single carousel and a dedicated ski/oversize baggage slide. The airport sees limited regional jet service during the summer months from Denver on United Express; however, seasonal service flown with mainline jetliners is operated during the winter months from other cities such as Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. It is at at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...

of 7678 feet or 2340 meters

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...

U.S. 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

runs along the northwest side of the airport. Its close location is due in part to redevelopment of land formerly occupied by the

Denver & Rio Grande The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south from De ...

narrow gauge railroad and rail yards, abandoned in 1953. Currecanti Recreation Area and Blue Mesa Reservoir is located nine miles West of Gunnison. Also nearby is the

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is an American national park located in western Colorado and managed by the National Park Service. There are two primary entrances to the park: the south rim entrance is located east of Montrose, while ...

, Taylor Reservoir, and Roaring Judy fish hatchery. Numerous ghost towns and scenic drives are located throughout the region as well. In the months after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport was one of several airports to have a temporary presence of the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

Historical airline service

Monarch Airlines (1946-1950) was serving Gunnison by the late 1940s. Monarch was then merged with two other airlines to form the original

Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...

which in 1950 was operating Douglas DC-3 service on a round trip routing of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

- Pueblo, CO - Canon City, CO/ Florence, CO - Gunnison, CO - Montrose, CO - Grand Junction, CO several times a day. By 1967, Frontier was operating nonstop service to Denver and Montrose as well as direct one stop service to Grand Junction with

Convair 580 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

turboprops. Two airlines were serving Gunnison in 1979: Frontier with nonstop service from Denver and Montrose, and

Aspen Airways Aspen Airways was an airline carrier and regional affiliate of United Express and based in Hangar 5 in Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. Aspen ceased operations on April 1, 1990, when separate portions of the airline were acqu ...

with nonstop service from Denver and Durango, CO with both air carriers operating Convair 580 turboprops. By 1981,

Trans-Colorado Airlines Trans-Colorado Airlines was a United States airline based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It operated from August 1980 until July 1988. The airline operated flights for Continental Airlines under the Continental Express banner beginning in 1986. ...

was operating nonstop flights from Denver with

Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

commuter propjets while Frontier was continuing to operate Convair 580 service nonstop from Denver and Montrose. Seasonal mainline jetliner service had arrived at the airport by early 1985 with

Air Atlanta Air Atlanta was an airline based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, during the mid-1980s, serving over a dozen cities from its hub located at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). History The airline was started in Febr ...

operating Boeing 727-100 service nonstop from

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

(ATL) on Saturdays while at this same time Frontier was operating

Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

service nonstop from both Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and

Houston Hobby Airport William P. Hobby Airport (colloquially referred to as Hobby Airport, Houston Hobby, or simply Hobby) is an international airport in Houston, Texas, located from downtown Houston. Hobby is Houston's oldest commercial airport, and was its primar ...

(HOU) on Saturdays and Sundays with Trans-Colorado Airlines operating Metroliner commuter propjets nonstop from Denver, Durango and Montrose. Five airlines were serving Gunnison by late 1989 including

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

with daily

Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...

service nonstop from both Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and

Chicago O'Hare Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busine ...

(ORD), Continental Airlines with nonstop Boeing 727-200 service from

Houston Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Located about north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 ...

(IAH) on Saturdays,

Continental Express Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of the merger ...

operated by

Rocky Mountain Airways Rocky Mountain Airways was an American commuter airline headquartered in Hangar No. 6 of Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado. It was sold to Texas Air Corporation/Continental Airlines in 1986 and was operated as a Continental Expr ...

on a code sharing basis on behalf of Continental with

Beechcraft 1900C The Beechcraft 1900 is a 19-passenger, pressurized twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With ...

commuter propjets nonstop from Denver,

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

with nonstop Boeing 727-200 service from

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

(SLC) on Saturdays, and

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

operated by

on a code sharing basis on behalf of

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

with nonstop Convair 580 turboprop service from Denver and Montrose. By the fall of 1991, Continental Express was flying

de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, d ...

turboprops nonstop from Denver and Montrose in addition to its Beechcraft 1900C service. According to the

Official Airline Guide OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, flight st ...

( OAG), four airlines were serving the airport in early 1995 including American with daily nonstop Boeing 757-200 service from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) with this flight also providing daily direct one stop service from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

(PHL), Continental Express operating on a code sharing basis on behalf of Continental with Beechcraft 1900C commuter propjets nonstop from Denver, Delta with nonstop Boeing 757-200 service from Atlanta (ATL) operated several days a week, and United Express operated by

Mesa Airlines Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air ...

on a code sharing basis on behalf of United with nonstop Beechcraft 1900C service from Denver.January 1995 OAG North American Pocket Flight Guide, Gunnison flight schedules

Facilities and aircraft

Gunnison–Crested Butte Regional Airport covers and has two

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

s. The main runway, 6/24, has an

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

pavement and is lighted during operational hours (0600-2230 MST). A second unpaved runway, 17/35, south of the main, is available to small

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...

in the summer; it has a

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricult ...

and gravel surface and is unlighted and therefore open for daylight use only. In the year ending January 1, 2012, the airport had 7,632 aircraft operations, average 20 per day: 88%

, 11% scheduled commercial, and 1%

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. 25 aircraft were then based at this airport: 84% single-

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

and 16% multi-engine.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Statistics

Top destinations

References

External links

Airport page
at Gunnison - Crested Butte Tourism Association
Gunnison - Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC)
at

Colorado DOT The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the Colorado state government that administers state government transportation responsibilities in the state of Colorado. CDOT is responsible f ...

airport directory
Gunnison Valley Aviation
the

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, ...

(FBO)
Aerial image as of September 1993
from

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

The National Map ''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the effort is to pro ...

'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport Airports in Colorado Transportation buildings and structures in Gunnison County, Colorado