Durango, CO: The Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO) will celebrate its terminal’s 30th
“Diamond” Anniversary during the week of March 19. DRO has seen significant growth in 30
years, having served more than 7.3 million passengers since the current terminal was originally
built in 1988.
Before 1988, DRO’s original terminal was 10,000-square-feet in size. The 36,000-square-foot
terminal was built for $2.5 million and more than tripled the size of the previous facility, which
had served the community for 30 years. The new terminal was opened with considerable
fanfare in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which featured Tim Schultz, executive director, State of
Colorado Department of Local Affairs; then Durango Mayor Fred Klatt; then County
Commissioner Bud Deering and the Durango High School Band, among others.
Terminal construction was funded equally by the City of Durango and La Plata County. Today,
DRO operates as an enterprise fund of the City of Durango, generates self-sustaining revenue,
and does not receive any local tax funding.
Last year, DRO served over 372,000 passengers – more than double the number in 1988. Over
the last decade alone, total DRO passenger traffic has increased by 61 percent. The increase in
passenger traffic can be attributed to regional population growth, increased tourism traffic, and
an increasingly mobile population.
“We are excited to celebrate the 30 years of growth since the terminal’s construction in 1988,”
Durango Mayor Dick White said. “It’s special to think about how this building has served over 7
million passengers as DRO has grown into the fifth busiest commercial service airport in
Colorado, while serving as the primary gateway to Durango and the Four Corners region.”
The 30-year-old terminal and airport grounds have seen considerable changes and
improvements over the years. Originally built for temporary use, the now permanent 4,500-
square-foot fabric structure on the south end of the terminal was added in 2013 to
accommodate increasing passenger traffic. Changes were also made to accommodate the
advent of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening in 2001. And, vehicle parking
capacity has seen continuous growth since the 1988 opening.
DRO is planning for additional improvements in 2018. Plans include expansion of behind-thecounter
operations space to improve the efficiency of current airline operations and increase
capacity for future growth.
Diamond Anniversary Celebration
DRO plans to celebrate the 30th “Diamond” Anniversary of the terminal throughout the week of
March 19. Most notably, DRO visitors can register for a baseball diamond-themed trip giveaway
in-person at the terminal from Monday, March 19 to Friday, March 23. The giveaway features
round-trip flights for two travelers on one of DRO’s nonstop routes: Denver (DEN), Dallas/Fort
Worth (DFW), Phoenix (PHX) or Los Angeles (LAX). Tickets to a Major League Baseball game in
the destination city, as well as a local hotel stay, also are included in the giveaway. Durango 9R
School District students will also be participating in a creative art contest sponsored by the
airport.
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