Local governments could be forced to repay the Federal Aviation Administratin for federally funded airport improvements of the past several years if the Telluride Regional Airport were to cease providing commercial air service.

The possibility was raised before the Telluride Town Council Tuesday, after Airport Manager Rich Nuttall told council that the airport may be in trouble. Nuttall and airport board member George Harvey appeared before council to ask for help in maintaining the airport’s viability.

The problem is a loss of commercial traffic, Nuttall and Harvey explained, dating from the start of a program funded by Telluride businesses that guarantees jet flights into the Montrose County Airport.

Since taking over as airport manager in December 1992, Nuttall told council, winter commercial flights have dwindled from 22 a day down to this winter’s hoped-for five. Nuttall distributed a chart showing that while enplanements at the Telluride Airport have dropped from 24,803 in 1993 to 21,668 in 1996, enplanements at Montrose Airport have jumped from 36,936 in 1993 to 45,388 in 1996. Last year, Telluride businesses paid out $465,105 in guaranteed flights into Montrose.

Air service remains as much a challenge today as it was ten years ago, with continuing questions over whether it is more important to support jet service to Montrose or the continued viability of Telluride, with an emphasis on service to and from Denver. Scheduled runway improvements at Telluride that could allow regional jet service and changing competition among the airlines at Denver are among the ever-shifting variables.

Five Years Ago in Telluride

As Reported in These Pages on November 12, 2002

Telski Warns Against Pre-Season Skiing

Last week the Telluride Ski & Golf Company issued a press release asking local skiers and snowboarders to refrain from skiing on the ski mountain before the Nov. 26 opening day.

The warning followed an Oct. 30 avalanche on Little Rose (that claimed the life of one local’s dog), and just prior to this weekend’s big snow.

“A hiker who intended to ski Little Rose set off an avalanche ten days ago,” said Telski Communications Manager Annie Kuehles. “We know one dog was buried. That avalanche left an eight-inch fracture.”

As a result of avalanche control work, Dynamo also slid last week, Kuehles said.

“We have started our early season control work, but most slopes lack adequate skier compaction,” Ski Patrol Director Gary Richard added in the press release. “We have seen several slides on the mountain.”

In addition to avalanches, the yet-to-be-opened mountain has a host of hazards. Among them: snowmaking equipment with generators, water guns and high pressure hoses, as well as snowmobile traffic of mountain operations crews preparing for opening day.

Additionally, no ski patrol or first aid services are available on the mountain until opening day.

Some years it dumps in late October and early November and some years….

As Reported in These Pages on November 15, 2002

Governments Anti Up to Back Summer Air Service

Building on its recent success of winning broad support for the winter 2002-03 airline services program, the Telluride/Montrose Regional Air Organization this week won an additional $110,000 from the Telluride Town Council to guarantee flights into the region this summer.

The additional money comes on top of $240,000 that the town pledged last summer to the program’s flight guarantees for the 2002-03 winter season. Telluride’s commitment matches an identical commitment from Mountain Village several weeks ago. To wrap up its request for local government assistance for the summer 2003 program, the program committee travels to Montrose in the coming weeks to ask that city council to up their 2003 pledge of $50,000 by an additional $100,000.

The organization has sought to restore summer air service to the region since Continental Airlines cancelled last summer’s flights to Montrose. That lost service resulted in a significant loss of group business, air organization board member Tom Hess told council, particularly for larger hotels such as the Inn at Lost Creek and The Peaks.

As it was ten years back, five years back it took a lot of work and money to keep the airlines serving the region.  So it is today.  Will it be the same five and ten years into the future?