Colorado Springs Airport
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Infobox airport
City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport Template:Airport codes, also known as Colorado Springs Airport, is a city owned, joint civilian–military airport in Colorado Springs, Colorado – some Template:Convert southeast of downtown Colorado Springs, United States.<ref name=FAA>Template:FAA-airport, effective May 15, 2025.</ref> It is the second largest commercial service airport in the state after Denver International Airport.
The military part of the airport, known as Peterson Space Force Base,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> originally operated primarily by the United States Air Force,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> now hosts Space Base Delta 1 in addition to the Air Force Reserve 302nd Airlift Wing<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> under lease. The base itself is located on the north side of runway 13/31.
A established civilian terminal eventually opened in 1942, as more people were being introduced to the city, it received more expansions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is operated by the City of Colorado Springs under the name "Colorado Springs Airport", after the city. American, Delta, and United flies to Colorado Springs year-round and Allegiant, Southwest, and Frontier Airlines seasonally.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It has been praised by both military and current state officials as an important military capital, but also criticised for perceived underperformance and inefficiencies by the Department of Defence (referred to as Department of War).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
In 1927 the airport opened on Template:Convert Template:Convert east of the city, with two gravel runways. For the first ten years several small airlines operated a mail route from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Pueblo, Colorado, with stops at Denver and Colorado Springs. These airlines only occasionally carried passengers. In 1937, Continental Airlines began service between Denver and El Paso, Texas, with stops at Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Las Vegas, New Mexico, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque. In 1943 Braniff Airways began service on a Denver-Colorado Springs-Pueblo-Amarillo route. At Amarillo, flights would continue onto Dallas and Houston or onto Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Little Rock, and Memphis. The first municipal terminal was built in 1942 in an art deco style. Soon after the terminal was built the field was taken over by the military in the months preceding World War II. After the war, the city regained control.
In 1966 a new terminal was built on the west side of the runways, just east of Powers Boulevard. This terminal expanded by the 1980s, with a six gate addition. By 1991 the airport had three Template:Convert wide runways, one Template:Convert long, making it the longest runway in Colorado until 16R/34L, a Template:Convert runway, opened at Denver International Airport in September 2003. In 1991 the city approved a new terminal, two miles east of the former terminal, in the south-center part of the airport. The Template:Convert terminal opened on October 22, 1994 with 12 gates; it was designed by the Van Sant Group and cost $140 million. In the 1990s a second, five-gate concourse was added on the east side of the main terminal.
In 1996, the 1941 passenger terminal, two hangars, and a caretaker residence — by that time all located on Peterson Air Force Base — were inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places. They form the campus of the Peterson Air and Space Museum.<ref name="COSHDNom">Template:Citation.</ref><ref name="WkLst">Template:Citation.</ref>
From the 1980s to the present day, the airport has tried to expand service. The largest number of passengers was nearly 5 million in 1996 when now-defunct Western Pacific Airlines had a hub at COS (Western Pacific moved the hub to Denver International Airport in late 1996). Their timetable for 15 June shows 33 daily departures to 20 airports between the west coast and Newark and Washington Dulles. Frontier Airlines added and dropped various routes from Colorado Springs throughout the 2010s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Southwest Airlines announced in October 2020 that they would begin serving the airport in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Southwest conducted their first flights in March 2021,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which has since bolstered the airport's commercial traffic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In May 2021, the airport began a pavement rehabilitation project, closing runway 17R/35L for remodeling. The upgrades include new asphalt, lighting, and navigation equipment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The airport announced in November 2021 that the main concourse (gates 1–12) will undergo a $10–$20 million renovation and will be completed in 3 to 5 years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The concourse was completed in 1994 and has not been renovated since then. The design has become outdated, prompting airport officials to renovate. On March 1, officials announced that COS will receive a $6 million grant to complete the planned renovation. Construction will start in the summer of 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In March 2022, the Colorado Springs Airport released a plan to expand the airport, with plans to double the number of gates from 12 to 24, relocate the control tower, and consolidate other airport services.<ref name="Heilman">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2024, because of its high elevation, it was used by Boeing for high altitude tests.Template:Citation needed
Facilities
The airport covers Template:Convert and has three paved runways: 17L/35R, Template:Convert long, 17R/35L, Template:Convert and 13/31, Template:Convert.<ref name=FAA /><ref>Template:Cite web FAA data effective May 15, 2025.</ref>
Location and access
The airport is located on the east side of Colorado Springs, accessible by Milton E. Proby Parkway via Powers Boulevard/SH 21. Milton E. Proby Parkway loops through the airport running north to the terminal, with exits to long and short term parking and rental car return, and eventually splits into an upper departures drop-off area and lower arrivals pick-up area east of the terminal. The road converges again on the west side of the terminal and runs south, joined by access roads, parking lot exits, and rental car exits. There is also an exit to return to the terminal via the northbound airport entrance.
Milton E. Proby Parkway also provides access to other airport facilities and tenants, including a Northrop Grumman building and an Amazon distribution center via Peak Innovation Parkway.
Powers Boulevard/SH 21, a primary expressway in El Paso County, runs west of the airport and provides easy access to general and private aviation hangars, maintenance facilities (including the SkyWest hangar), and FBOs (Cutter Aviation, Template:Proper name, and the J.H.W. Hangar Complex).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The expressway also provides north-south access to the Colorado Springs and Falcon (via Highway 24) region.
Terminal and gate information
Colorado Springs Airport has one terminal with two concourses. However, only one, the larger concourse housing gates 1–12, has ever been put to commercial use; the second concourse (called the Western Pacific Airlines concourse) contains gates 14–18 (there is no gate 13) and is now mainly used for meetings. Access between the concourses requires leaving the secure area, walking through the main terminal and down a long hallway. There is no public access to these gates. The gates were previously planned to be demolished. However, with the beginning of flights to Cancun, the area has been renovated to serve as an international arrivals inspection facility.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transportation
Shuttles and buses
The airport is serviced by Colorado Springs' public transportation system, Mountain Metropolitan Transit. Service from private transportation, such as Groome Transportation, is also available.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rental vehicles
Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, and National Car Rental provide on-airport car rentals. The rental car check in counters are located on the lower level outside of the secured area, across from baggage claim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Template:Airport destination list
Cargo
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Statistics
Annual traffic
Annual traffic at COS
| Year | Passengers | % change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1,674,947 | — |
| 2018 | 1,725,037 | Template:IncreaseTemplate:03.0% |
| 2019 | 1,671,757 | Template:DecreaseTemplate:03.1% |
| 2020 | 727,742 | Template:DecreaseTemplate:056.5% |
| 2021 | 1,864,485 | Template:IncreaseTemplate:011.5% |
| 2022 | 2,134,618 | Template:IncreaseTemplate:014.5% |
| 2023 | 2,347,008 | Template:IncreaseTemplate:09.9% |
| 2024 | 2,473,099 | Template:IncreaseTemplate:05.4% |
Top destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Flagicon Denver, Colorado | 378,380 | Southwest, United |
| 2 | Template:Flagicon Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas | 198,660 | American |
| 3 | Template:Flagicon Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona | 112,020 | Southwest |
| 4 | Template:Flagicon Dallas–Love, Texas | 101,400 | Southwest |
| 5 | Template:Flagicon Las Vegas, Nevada | 99,720 | Southwest |
| 6 | Template:Flagicon Atlanta, Georgia | 73,530 | Delta |
| 7 | Template:Flagicon Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois | 56,420 | United |
| 8 | Template:Flagicon Chicago–Midway, Illinois | 45,680 | Southwest |
| 9 | Template:Flagicon Houston–Intercontinental, Texas | 42,700 | United |
| 10 | Template:Flagicon Baltimore, Maryland | 35,090 | Southwest |
Airline market share
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southwest Airlines | 1,270,000 | 50.30% |
| 2 | SkyWest Airlines | 497,000 | 19.67% |
| 3 | American Airlines | 309,000 | 12.24% |
| 4 | United Airlines | 203,000 | 8.06% |
| 5 | Delta Airlines | 139,000 | 5.52% |
| Other Airlines | 107,000 | 4.22% |
Accidents and incidents
- On March 3, 1991, United Airlines Flight 585, a Boeing 737-291 flying from Peoria, Illinois, to Colorado Springs via Denver, crashed on final approach to Colorado Springs Runway 35 after a rudder malfunction caused the aircraft to roll over and dive, killing all 25 on board.
- On December 21, 1997, a Beechcraft King Air operated by Aviation Charter flying in from Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport impacted terrain at Colorado Springs Airport in fog during a missed instrument landing system (ILS) approach. Both passengers on board were Northwest Airlines mechanics being flown in to repair a Northwest Airlines aircraft at COS. The pilot and one passenger were killed; the other passenger sustained serious injuries.<ref>Template:ASN accident</ref>
- On April 16, 2018, a fire broke out on the airport's roof. There were no casualties, but the event resulted in the airport being closed for a single day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- On April 15, 2021, a Learjet 35A operated by Med Air Inc suffered substantial damage on landing at COS because of the flight crew's improper decision to continue the unstabilized approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with the runway during landing. All 4 occupants survived, but the right wing suffered major damage and the aircraft was written off.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
References
Template:Reflist Template:Commons category
External links
- Airports in Colorado
- Transportation in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Buildings and structures in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Tourism in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- 1927 establishments in Colorado
- Airports established in 1927
- Government buildings completed in 1942
- History of Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Military history of El Paso County, Colorado
- Transportation buildings and structures in El Paso County, Colorado