Eagle County Regional Airport

Eagle County Regional Airport is a public airport in Gypsum, Colorado, United States. The airport is also sometimes advertised as the Vail/Eagle Airport by airlines and other entities as it is located from Eagle and from Vail. It covers and has one runway. The final two ground-loading gates were expected to open in time for the 2019/2020 winter season. As of December 2019, the new TSA checkpoint is open, serving both TSA PreCheck and normal security lines.

Operations

The Eagle County Sheriff provides airport security response. The airport has its own ARFF department with three fire trucks, including two state-of-the-art Oshkosh Striker trucks. The airport has a full complement of snowplows, snow blowers, and powered brooms for snow removal operations, along with a complete runway friction measuring system. The tower is staffed by SERCO contract air traffic controllers. In 2019, a dedicated de-icing pad was built on the South-East section of the airfield. This allows planes to be de-iced without blocking the commercial ramp and gates.

The airport’s long runway, measuring approximately 9,000 feet, is specifically designed to accommodate landings in challenging conditions. This length allows larger aircraft to land safely, even in reduced visibility or adverse weather. Combined with modern navigation aids and the expertise of air traffic controllers, Eagle County Regional Airport ensures reliable service, making it a vital gateway for travelers heading to nearby ski resorts like Vail and Beaver Creek.

Aircraft procedures

There is no standard published ILS approach at the airport, but there is a special ILS approach, mostly used by the airlines, which requires permission and training from the FSDO. General aviation aircraft usually use the LDA approach, DME, or under VFR. The airport also has an on-site Beacon Interrogator (BI-6) Radar facility. IFR clearances are given by the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC).

The History Channel rated Eagle County Regional Airport as #8 on its list of Most Extreme Airports in July 2010 due to the elevation, weather, approach through mountainous terrain and challenging departure procedures.

In 2008–09, the airport completed a runway repaving and extension project, increasing the runway length to 9,000 feet.

Airline operations

United flies year-round to Denver on United Express (Skywest Airlines), and nonstop to Chicago–O'Hare in the summer and winter months. American offers near year-round service to Dallas/Fort Worth, operating as American Airlines or American Eagle in every season except fall. In winter, American, Delta, and United Airlines offer service to 11 more cities across the United States including daily flights to Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, New York–JFK, Newark, Houston–Intercontinental, and San Francisco, select Saturday flights to New York–LaGuardia and Philadelphia, and select holiday flights to Phoenix and Salt Lake City. On July 9, 2024, Alaska Airlines announced that it would commence nonstop service to Seattle/Tacoma and San Diego that December. Of the regional ski resort airports—excluding Denver and Salt Lake City—Eagle County Regional Airport has the second most regular flights during the winter, behind Aspen, CO, and ahead of Jackson Hole, WY.

Winter airline flights are operated via a variety of jet aircraft including the Boeing 757, Airbus A319 and Boeing 737 as well as Embraer 175 and Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets on shorter flights.

Ground transportation

Eagle County Airport has several ground transportation options available for commuting to and from the airport. These include private car service providers, shared airport shuttle operators, taxi cabs, and rideshare services. Several car rental companies also operate at the airport.

Airlines and destinations