| Aspen/Pitkin County Airport | |
| Nativename: | Sardy Field |
| Iata: | ASE |
| Icao: | KASE |
| Faa: | ASE |
| Coordinates: | 39.2231°N -106.8689°W |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Colorado#USA |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 200 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of airport in Colorado |
| Pushpin Label: | ASE |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Type: | Public |
| Owner: | Pitkin County |
| City-Served: | Aspen, Colorado |
| Elevation-F: | 7,820 |
| R1-Number: | 15/33 |
| R1-Length-F: | 8,006 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat1-Header: | Aircraft operations (year ending 11/30/2020) |
| Stat1-Data: | 38,584 |
| Stat2-Header: | Based aircraft (2020) |
| Stat2-Data: | 95 |
| Stat3-Header: | Total passengers served (12 months ending January 2019) |
| Stat3-Data: | 569,000 |
| Footnotes: | Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] [2] |
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, also known as Sardy Field, is a county-owned public-use airport located 3sigfig=1NaNsigfig=1 northwest of the central business district of Aspen, in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The airport covers an area of 573acres at an elevation of 7,820 feet (2,384 m) above mean sea level. It has one asphalt paved runway designated 15/33 which measures 8,006 by 100 feet (2,440 x 30 m).
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027 categorized it as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[3]
The site of Aspen/Pitkin County Airport was first occupied by settlers in 1881, with the establishment of the Stapleton ranch, a 320-acre homestead. The first building on the site, a log cabin, sat on the east side of the present-day runway. The Stapleton family grew potatoes and raised animals, including sheep, cattle, and hogs.[4] [5]
A private gravel airstrip opened on the Stapleton ranch in 1946, promoted by Walter Paepcke and John Spachner. The airstrip was open to the public, but was mostly used by the aviation department of the Aspen Institute, the precursor of Aspen Airways.[6]
The Pitkin County government gained control of the gravel airstrip in the 1956, and began a project to pave the runway. County commissioner Tom Sardy headed the project, and the airport was renamed Sardy Field in his honor in 1958.[7]
The original paved runway was 5000feetby50feetft (byft). The runway has been expanded four times since, reaching its current dimensions in 2011.
For the 12-month period ending November 30, 2020, the airport had 38,584 aircraft operations, an average of 106 per day: 52% general aviation, 29% air taxi, 18% scheduled commercial, and 1% military. In November 2020, there were 95 aircraft based at this airport: 66 single-engine, 10 multi-engine, 13 jet, 5 helicopter, and 1 glider.
Aspen/Pitkin Co. Airport has more regular service from major carriers than any other regional ski town airport in North America. In the winter, its regular, weekly flights number more than 170 (not including extra flights often run during busy holiday seasons). In addition to regular service from Denver, Aspen sees more than 20 flights a week from Chicago and Los Angeles.[8]
In 2007, the runway was completely rehabilitated with new grooved asphalt. A partial length parallel taxiway A is located 320feet from the runway centerline on the east side of the runway, and serves general aviation on the north end of the airport and the commercial terminal on the south end. The airport meets modified FAA D-III airport reference code standards.
On April 4, 2011, the airport began a $15.5 million runway extension project which added 1,000 feet of runway length to the existing 8,006 feet long runway. This project was completed on November 2, 2011.[9]
, the runway pavement is years beyond its useful life. The airport has been making surface-level repairs have kept it safe and operational, funded by the FAA. However, the FAA announced in 2024 that it would no longer provide funding for repairs of the runway and that it would only consider funding a replacement runway if it met current Category III standards, which would require shifting the runway to the west to create a 400feet separation between the runway and taxiway.[10]
The Aspen/Pitkin County airport terminal is a 44000ft2 single floor facility, which has undergone several renovations since its original construction in 1976. The airport terminal hosts six rental car operations, a year-round guest services operation, plus Jeddadiahs restaurant and gift shops. The terminal has a cellphone parking lot to accommodate motorists waiting to pick up passengers. The 40 spaced parking lot is located in a manner to allow motorists to loop and re-access the terminal without getting back on Colorado State Highway 82.[11]
The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is certificated as a Class I, ARFF Index B commercial service airport under FAR Part 139. The airport's operations department is responsible for daily compliance with FAA Part 139, including daily airport safety inspections, rules and regulations enforcement, and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF). The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office has the primary responsibility of law enforcement and shares in incident management for emergency response to events occurring on airport property In July 2009, the airport took delivery of a new Oshkosh Striker 1500 Index B ARFF truck. Mutual aid response to airport incidents is provided by the Aspen Fire Department, Roaring Fork Fire Rescue, Aspen Ambulance, and others.
Airport operations staff operates from the airport's Operations Center, constructed in 2006 on the west side of the airport. This facility houses airport operations and facilities maintenance staff, as well as the airport's fleet of ARFF, snow removal, and other airport equipment.
General aviation services are provided by Atlantic Aviation, the airport's sole fixed-base operator.
The FAA has installed an FAA Weather Camera in addition to the Automated surface observing system (ASOS) available to help pilots determine the weather conditions at Aspen airport and the surrounding area.[12]
The airport has several unique operating limitations due to local legislation, the constrained size of the airfield, and its location in a high elevation mountain valley., aircraft at ASE are restricted to a wingspan of, due to the separation between the runway and a parallel taxiway, and a maximum weight of, due to the condition of the runway.[13] [14] These restrictions influence the commercial airline services provided at ASE, which must use regional aircraft to comply with the weight and size limits. Most mainline aircraft, such as the Boeing 737, are generally prohibited from the airport due to these restrictions.[15]
ASE has a curfew in place, which prohibits operations between 11 PM and 7 AM. No aircraft departures are permitted after 10:30 PM. Jet aircraft with louder engines, under the FAA Stage II category, are permitted to take off no more than 30 minutes after official sunset.[16] [17]
For most aircraft operations, especially commercial passenger flights, planes must land to the south on runway 15 and take off to the north on runway 33, due to the mountain range to the south of the runway.[18] This means aircraft taking off and landing fly towards each other. It can also lead to delays, cancellations, and weight restrictions depending on wind strength and direction.[19]
Commercial passenger flights must be flown by crews with special qualification and aircraft certified by the FAA to have enough performance to fly the steep approach to the airport and perform the demanding go-around procedure during an aborted landing., SkyWest Airlines is the only commercial operator with crews qualified to operate into Aspen and the only aircraft currently certified are the Bombardier CRJ700 and Embraer 175.[20]
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver, Colorado | 131,920 | United | |
| 2 | Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 49,060 | American | |
| 3 | Los Angeles, California | 43,700 | American, Delta, United | |
| 4 | Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 40,660 | American, United | |
| 5 | Houston, Texas | 26,750 | United | |
| 6 | San Francisco, California | 14,550 | United | |
| 7 | Atlanta, Georgia | 13,050 | Delta | |
| 8 | Austin, Texas | 8,510 | American | |
| 9 | Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona | 4,310 | American |