View source for Telluride Regional Airport

{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Telluride Regional Airport
| image = Telluride Regional Airport Logo.png
| imagewidth = 
| image2 = Telluride Regional Airport runway.JPG
| image2-width = <!-- if less than 200 -->
| image2_alt = 
| caption2 = Runway 9/27 and the dropoff
| IATA = TEX
| ICAO = KTEX
| FAA = TEX
| type = Public
| owner = Telluride Regional Airport Authority
| operator = 
| city-served = [[Telluride, Colorado]]
| location = 
| elevation-f = 9,078
| elevation-m = 2,767
| coordinates = {{coord|37|57|14|N|107|54|31|W|region:US-CO_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| website = [http://tellurideairport.com/ tellurideairport.com]
| pushpin_map = USA Colorado#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airport in Colorado / United States
| pushpin_label = '''TEX'''
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| r1-number = 9/27
| r1-length-f = 7,111
| r1-length-m = 2,167
| r1-surface = [[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| stat-year = 2019
| stat1-header = Aircraft operations
| stat1-data = 9,402
| stat2-header = Based aircraft
| stat2-data = 27
| footnotes = Sources: airport website<ref name=Airport>{{cite web|url=http://www.tellurideairport.com/ |title=Telluride Regional Airport |publisher=Tellurideairport.com |date= |accessdate=January 21, 2018}}</ref> and [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]]<ref name=FAA>{{FAA-airport|ID=TEX|use=PU|own=PU|site=02742.*A}}, effective June 5, 2008</ref>
}}

'''Telluride Regional Airport''' {{airport codes|TEX|KTEX|TEX}} is a public airport six miles west of [[Telluride, Colorado|Telluride]], in [[San Miguel County, Colorado|San Miguel County]], [[Colorado]], United States. It is owned by the Telluride Regional Airport Authority. At an elevation of 9,078 feet (2767 m) above sea level,<ref name=FAA /> it was the [[List of highest commercial airports|highest commercial airport]] in [[North America]] with scheduled passenger flights when [[Great Lakes Airlines]] resumed scheduled passenger service in December 2016; however, those flights ceased in March 2018.<ref name="Great Lakes ends Flights Again">{{Cite news|last=Criado|first=Justin|date=March 28, 2018|title=TEX loses commercial air service again|language=en|work=Telluride Daily Planet|url=https://www.telluridenews.com/news/article_f8475f7c-3295-11e8-b9ec-3f72ef65ac49.html|access-date=March 30, 2018}}</ref> In August 2018, commercial service returned with the introduction of [[Boutique Air]], and the airport remains the highest airfield in the U.S. with scheduled passenger flights, and the second highest overall airfield in the US behind [[Leadville Airport]].<ref name="Boutique Air Launches Flights">{{cite news |title=Boutique Air Launches Flights to Telluride Airport |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boutique-air-launches-flights-to-telluride-airport-300702355.html |accessdate=August 30, 2018 |work=www.prnewswire.com}}</ref> [[Denver Air Connection]] is currently the only airline flying scheduled passenger flights from Telluride with daily nonstop flights to [[Denver International Airport|Denver]] and [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix]].  Denver Air operates the [[Fairchild-Dornier 328JET]] into Telluride. The 328JET is one of the few regional jet airliners in service capable of operating  at such high field elevations as TEX.

== Facilities and aircraft ==
Telluride Regional Airport covers {{convert|542|acre}} and has one [[runway]], 9/27, {{convert|7111|by|100|ft|m}}.<ref name=FAA /> The runway is on a plateau and still dips slightly in the center, although the dip was more pronounced prior to a renovation in 2009. It can be a challenging but beautiful<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ED-mHC85p1o Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100701165626/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED-mHC85p1o Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED-mHC85p1o |title=Telluride Airport landing in a Mitsubishi MU-2 |publisher=YouTube |date=July 21, 2006 |accessdate=January 21, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> approach for pilots. In the past during winter months, about 20% {{citation needed|date=March 2013}} of the scheduled commuter airline flights were diverting to other airports because of abruptly adverse landing conditions. This is not unusual since other mountain airports like Sun Valley have similar statistics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flysvra.com/pdfs/press-releases/Diversions-Big-Problem-at-FMAA-April-2011.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.flysvra.com |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831233638/http://www.flysvra.com/pdfs/press-releases/Diversions-Big-Problem-at-FMAA-April-2011.pdf |archive-date=31 August 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> When flying to the Telluride Regional Airport, pilots must be aware of unique issues impacting the airfield including high terrain exceeding {{convert|14000|ft|m}}, as well as the airport's location on a plateau with a thousand-foot ({{convert|1000|ft|m|disp=output only}}) drop to the [[San Miguel River (Colorado)|San Miguel River]] below.<ref name="airport precariousness">{{cite web|title=Unusual Airports: Telluride Regional Airport|url=http://www.bing.com/travel/content/search?q=Unusual+Airports%3a+Telluride+Regional+Airport%2c+Colorado&FORM=RQTRAV|publisher=[[Bing (search engine)|Bing]]|accessdate=August 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824201111/http://www.bing.com/travel/content/search?q=Unusual+Airports:+Telluride+Regional+Airport,+Colorado&FORM=RQTRAV|archive-date=August 24, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Private business jets operate into the Telluride Regional Airport on a regular basis. Other scheduled passenger jet service is available via the [[Montrose Regional Airport]] (MTJ), the [[Durango-La Plata County Airport]] (DRO) and the [[Grand Junction Regional Airport]] (GJT).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tellurideskiresort.com/trip-planning/flying-to-telluride/ |title=Flying to Telluride &#124; Telluride, Colorado |website=www.tellurideskiresort.com |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212104557/http://www.tellurideskiresort.com/trip-planning/flying-to-telluride/ |archive-date=12 December 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the year ending 2019, the airport had 9,402 aircraft operations, average 26 per day: 99% [[general aviation]] and <1% [[airline|scheduled commercial]]. 27 aircraft were then based at this airport: 67% single-[[aircraft engine|engine]], 11% multi-engine, 14% [[jet aircraft|jet]], <1% [[helicopter]] and <1% [[Glider aircraft|glider]].<ref name=FAA />

==Airlines and destinations==
<!-- Please use only independent sources. The airport and airlines itself are not independent sources. -->
{{Airport-dest-list
|[[Denver Air Connection]] | [[Denver International Airport|Denver]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2019/04/09/telluride-commercial-jet-service.html |title=First-ever commercial jet service coming to Telluride |publisher=American City Business Journals |date=April 9, 2019 |agency=Denver Business Journal |accessdate=August 31, 2021}}</ref> [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix–Sky Harbor]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Corrigan |first1=Kimberly |url=https://www.telluriderealestatecorp.com/blog/posts/2021/08/27/denver-air-connection-spreads-its-wings/ |title=Denver Air Connection Spreads Its Wings |publisher=Telluriderealestatecorp.com |date=August 27, 2021 |accessdate=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829220752/https://www.telluriderealestatecorp.com/blog/posts/2021/08/27/denver-air-connection-spreads-its-wings/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

===Historical airline service===
[[Mesa Airlines]] introduced the first commercial airline service to Telluride on December 19, 1985, with flights to Albuquerque and Denver using [[Beechcraft 1900C]] turboprops. Flights to Phoenix were added a few months later. Monarch Airlines was serving the airport in 1987 with [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] turboprop flights from Aspen, Crested Butte, Grand Junction and Vail with the latter service being flown from the [[Eagle County Regional Airport]].<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, January 16, 1987, Monarch Airlines timetable</ref> [[Rocky Mountain Airways]] operating as [[Continental Express]] on behalf of [[Continental Airlines]] served Telluride from 1986 through mid-1991 flying 19-passenger [[Beechcraft 1900C]] and 50-passenger [[de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7]] turboprops nonstop to Denver (DEN). Some flights stopped in Aspen (ASE) during the 1986/1987 ski season.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, February 1, 1987, Continental Airlines system timetable</ref>  The four-engine, [[STOL]] capable Dash 7 was the largest aircraft ever to provide scheduled passenger service into Telluride. The [[Continental Express]] service to Denver was operated by [[Britt Airways]] from mid-1991 through March 8, 1994, then replaced with [[Continental Connection]] service operated by GP Express Airlines until January 1995.

[[StatesWest Airlines]] flew [[Beechcraft 1900C]] turboprops nonstop to Laughlin, NV/Bullhead City, AZ with continuing service to Orange County and Los Angeles on Saturdays only during the 1989/1990 ski season.<ref>StatesWest Airlines timetable</ref> [[SkyWest Airlines]] operating as the [[Delta Connection]] flew nonstop [[Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia]] service to Los Angeles ([[LAX]]) during the 1990/1991, 1991/1992, and 1992/1993 ski seasons.<ref>Delta Air Lines timetables</ref> [[WestAir Commuter Airlines]] operating as [[United Express]] flew an [[Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia]] turboprop nonstop to Los Angeles on Saturdays only during the 1992/1993 ski season.

In 1990 the Mesa Airlines flights to Denver began operating as [[United Express]] on behalf of [[United Airlines]] and in 1992 the Phoenix flights began operating as [[America West Express]] on behalf of [[America West Airlines]]. [[Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia]] and [[de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8]] aircraft were periodically added to the flight schedules. The Albuquerque flights ended after the 1992/1993 ski season and the Denver flights ended in early 1998 being replaced by Great Lakes Airlines. The Phoenix flights were upgraded to operate with [[de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8]] turboprops in 1998 and then changed over to operate as [[US Airways Express]] in 2007 when America West Airlines and US Airways merged. All service by Mesa Airlines ended on April 4, 2011.<ref>Mesa Airlines timetables</ref>

[[Great Lakes Airlines]] began service to Telluride in mid 1998 by taking over the [[United Express]] contract formerly held by Mesa Airlines. Great Lakes flew [[Beechcraft 1900D]]s nonstop to Denver and changed over to operating under their own identity in early 2002 after the carrier lost its designation as a [[United Express]] [[code sharing]] air carrier. Service to Telluride continued until September 16, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telluridenews.com/articles/2014/07/20/news/doc53c9a6664fc67722261780.txt |title=Great Lakes pulls out of Telluride &#124; News |publisher=telluridenews.com |date=December 1, 2014 |accessdate=January 21, 2018}}</ref> Great Lakes returned to the airport in December 2016 with flights to [[Denver International Airport|Denver]] and later [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix]] and [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]] with one stop en route; however, all service ended once again on March 30, 2018, when Great Lakes ceased all of their operations with turboprop aircraft.<ref>American Express SkyGuide</ref>

[[Boutique Air]] was then recruited to reinstate commercial airline service at Telluride with flights to Denver beginning on August 29, 2018. The carrier uses 9-seat single-engine [[Pilatus PC-12]] turboprop aircraft. Service to Cortez with continuing service to Phoenix was added in mid-2019 but all service ended on October 31, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boutiqueair.com |title=Boutique Air. Fly Private for the Cost of Commercial |publisher=Boutiqueair.com |date=April 22, 2019 |accessdate=August 31, 2021}}</ref>

[[Key Lime Air]] operating as [[Denver Air Connection]] began the first scheduled jet service into Telluride on May 15, 2019, with the [[Fairchild Dornier 328JET]] on a daily flight to Denver. The service will operate year-round with the exception of two short seasonal breaks in the spring and fall.

==Renovation==
Between April 7 and November 4, 2009, the Telluride runway was closed for a $24 million runway renovation. The west end of the runway was lowered 30 feet, and the east end 14&nbsp;ft. The material removed was placed in the center, removing the notorious dip in the middle of the runway. In addition, 41 feet of length was added to the runway and retaining walls were built on the side. In 2010, crews widened the airfield's safety areas from 150 feet to 250 feet, installed an [[Engineered Materials Arrestor System]] (EMAS) and finished ancillary aspects of the projects. Work on the EMAS was scheduled at night to prevent disrupting operations. This system is designed in part to allow larger aircraft to utilize the airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KTEX |title=KTEX - Telluride Regional Airport |publisher=AirNav |date= |accessdate=January 21, 2018}}</ref>

==Statistics==
{{Bar graph
| title = Carrier shares <br/>(September 2023 - August 2024)<ref name="transtats.bts.gov" />
| bar_width   = 19| width_units = em
| label_type  = Carrier
| data_type   = Passengers (arriving and departing)
| data_max    = 25,000
| label1   = [[Denver Air Connection]]
| data1    = 21,110
| comment1 = 100.00%
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Top domestic destinations <br/>(September 2023 - August 2024)<ref name="transtats.bts.gov">
  {{cite web
  | url = http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=TVF&End_YearMonth=24168
  | title = Thief River Falls, MN: Thief River Falls Regional (TVF)
  | publisher = [[Bureau of Transportation Statistics]] (BTS), [[Research and Innovative Technology Administration]] (RITA), [[U.S. Department of Transportation]]
  | date = September 2019 | accessdate = February 29, 2020
}}
</ref>
! Rank
! Airport
! Passengers
! Carrier
|-
| 1
| [[Denver International Airport|Denver, Colorado]]
| 6,290
| Denver Air Connection
|-
| 2
| [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix, Arizona]]
| 4,270
| Denver Air Connection
|}

== Media appearances ==
Telluride Regional Airport is the destination in the "Telluride Landing" mission supplied with ''[[Microsoft Flight Simulator X]]''. The player must land a [[Bombardier Learjet 45]] with passengers on board.

Part of an episode of ''[[The Grand Tour]]'' was filmed at the airport, in which the presenters tried to get some [[Jaguar Cars]] up to {{convert|100|mph|abbr=on}} and then stop before going over the cliff at the end of the runway.<ref name="gray-201711">{{cite news|url=http://kekbfm.com/grand-tour-filming-colorado/|work=[[KEKB (FM)]]|title=Amazon's ''The Grand Tour'' Hosts Visit Colorado|first=Tim|last=Gray|date=April 2017|accessdate=January 12, 2018|quote=Jeremy Clarkson sitting behind the wheel of a Jaguar on the runway of the Telluride Airport}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of airports in Colorado]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041209000909/http://www.nw.faa.gov/ats/zdvartcc/high_mountain/tex.html FAA TEX]
* {{FAA-procedures|TEX}}
{{US-airport-ga|TEX}}

[[Category:Airports in Colorado]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in San Miguel County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Transportation in San Miguel County, Colorado]]