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    1. Airports

    Durango-La Plata County Airport 2017 Passenger Traffic Remains Steady

    Jan. 23, 2018
    Related To: City of Durango

    2017 passenger traffic at the Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO) remained even with 2016 levels, with 372,327 passengers using the facility for commercial airline flights. Total traffic decreased by 610 passengers year-over-year, or 0.2 percent.

    The slight decrease in annual passenger traffic resulted from lower than expected traffic in December. Through November, DRO passenger traffic was up 0.2 percent over 2016.

    Over the 10-year period from 2008 - 2017, however, total DRO passenger traffic has increased by 61 percent. In 2008, DRO served roughly 231,200 passengers.

    “Despite remarkably level commercial passenger traffic from 2016 to 2017, we had a very busy year addressing the long-term growth needs of DRO while serving air passengers in southwest Colorado as well as those from around the world who are eager to visit this area,” said Tony Vicari, DRO’s director of aviation. “As the 5th busiest commercial airport in Colorado, DRO is a critical link to the rest of the globe and continues to be a major driver of economic activity in the region.”

    “After a few years of fairly steady traffic, we anticipate that passenger traffic will increase slightly in 2018, adding to the rapid growth we’ve seen over the last decade,” Vicari added.

    Additional 2017 statistics:

    • July was the busiest month for DRO with 37,254 passengers. DRO’s passenger traffic generally spikes in the summer months, reflecting the onset of vacation season and the addition of American Airlines’ seasonal nonstop service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
    • American Airlines will offer a third consecutive year of seasonal nonstop service to LAX in 2018. Flights will run every Saturday beginning June 9th through September 1st.
    • American Airlines was the largest carrier at DRO with a total of 192,064 passengers. In addition to its seasonal service to LAX, American provides regular, year-round service to Dallas (DFW) and Phoenix (PHX).
    • Denver (DEN) continued to be DRO’s largest origin and destination market. Denver service is provided by United Airlines, which provides multiple flights to DEN on a daily basis. Dallas and Phoenix, respectively, were DRO’s second and third largest passenger markets.
    • Beyond direct-flight cities, DRO’s next six largest markets were: Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
    • The five largest international markets for DRO’s passengers were: Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; London, U.K.; and Vancouver, Canada.
    • Based on passenger data of U.S. flights compiled by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, DRO is the 5th busiest among the 14 commercial airports in Colorado. DRO also ranks as the 183rd busiest among 810 commercial service airports in the United States.