Travelers flying in and out of Durango-La Plata County Airport will now be greeted by a soaring new terminal, spacious security checkpoints and speedy access to a new baggage claim.
About 70 guests – including representatives from the Durango City Council, La Plata County government, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, offices of Rep. Jeff Hurd and Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet – attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday officially marking the grand opening of Phase 1B2, the third installment of the airport’s multiyear, multiphase expansion project.
The addition has soaring vaulted ceilings with a massive window wall overlooking the airfield – a departure from the original building, which was built in the 1980s. Ample seating borders the new American Airlines terminal, and automatic security doors deliver disembarking passengers straight to the airport’s new baggage claim.
“This addition will allow ourselves to continue to grow,” said Director of Aviation Tony Vicari. “It resets the flow of the building, makes it linear and more functional. It also will allow for future incremental expansion, even beyond this project.”
During his opening remarks to the gathered crowd, Vicari said the expansion is ahead of schedule, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
“We’ve been working fast through this project,” he said. “I am really proud to be able to say Phase 1A and now Phase 1B of this project both delivered on time and on budget. That’s a tough thing to be able to say, especially for projects of this scale and complexity.”
Two metal brown trout sculptures, created by Durango-based bronze sculptor Bryce Pettit, hang from the ceiling in one corner, celebrating the fish native to this corner of Colorado.
In the coming months, restaurants featuring offerings from Steamworks Brewing Co. and Desert Sun Coffee Roasters will be available to flyers.
La Plata County Commissioner Elizabeth Philbrick and Durango Mayor Dave Woodruff shared the oversized scissors used to cut the ribbon.
Nunn Construction Senior Superintendent Andrew Everett; Joe Cruz of architectural firm Mead & Hunt; Dibble Engineering Senior Project Engineer Mario Maraccini; Transportation Security Manager Katie Pena; Southern Ute Tribal Council Member Linda Baker; and American Airlines representative Ed Lacy also joined them on stage.
Vicari said the new terminal is meant to address the increasing traveler traffic to the region, while celebrating the area’s diverse residents and unique landscape. The airport saw 563,009 travelers in 2025, a 13% increase from 2024.
“It really says ‘Welcome to Durango,’” he said. “It accentuates our natural landscapes through visuals, incorporates local art that has permanent display cases and includes displays for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s exhibits to show our past, present, future here.
“The project is intended to both meet demand that’s already here, as well as additional future growth that we’re anticipating,” he said.
Woodruff has witnessed the entire process of the airport expansion, and said Friday’s opening felt special.
“To see it go from an idea and a concept – seeing it through every part of the design and building process to actually standing in the physical building – is pretty remarkable,” he said. “Now we get to increase capacity, and this is more efficient and better for our community.”
Woodruff said the expansion is exciting, and will be an economic boon to the region.
“You look at the economics – and $324 million of revenue comes through this airport – and it creates 1,900 jobs: Those aren’t small numbers,” he said.
As communities like Ignacio, Bayfield, Aztec and Durango continue to grow, the airport’s expansion is central to ensuring the region’s infrastructure keeps up, he said.
“We’re seeing our region grow, and so it makes sense that the airport is in lockstep with that growth,” Woodruff said. “How do we make sure that we’re looking at the 10-, 20-, 30-year projection of how we want to grow, and make sure that it aligns with community values? The expansion of the airport is an important part of that discussion.”
Guinn Unger, vice chairman of the Durango-La Plata County Airport Advisory Commission, said in a speech that the $25.5 million expansion was paid for entirely through a combination of a low-interest loans and federal and state funding.
About $19.7 million came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $400,000 from the airport’s cash reserves, and a $400,000 grant and $8 million loan from the Colorado Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division.
“There’s no city or county tax money that comes into the airport,” he said. “It is self-sustaining.”
The final steps of the expansion include renovating the old airport and opening two new gates, Vicari said, boosting the airport’s capacity to four total gates. Additionally, five more art projects are slated to be installed in the final phase of the airport’s expansion.
Reader Comments