Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (IATA: ASE, ICAO: KASE, FAA LID: ASE), also known as Sardy Field, is a county-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district of Aspen, in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.[1] Aspen/Pitkin Co. Airport/Sardy Field covers an area of 573 acres (232 ha) at an elevation of 7,820 feet (2,384 m) above mean sea level. It has one asphalt paved runway designated 15/33 which measures 8,006 by 100 feet (2,440 x 30 m).[1]
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Sardy Field | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Pitkin County | ||||||||||
Serves | Aspen, Colorado | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 7,820 ft / 2,384 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°13′23″N 106°52′08″W | ||||||||||
Website | aspenairport | ||||||||||
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![]() ![]() ASE Location of airport in Colorado Show map of Colorado![]() ![]() ASE ASE (the United States) Show map of the United States | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.[3]
For the 12-month period ending January 1, 2017, the airport had 42,405 aircraft operations, an average of 116 per day: 51% general aviation, 26% air taxi, 23% scheduled commercial, and <1% military. In March 2019, there were 95 aircraft based at this airport: 66 single-engine, 10 multi-engine, 13 jet, 5 helicopter, and 1 glider.[1]
Aspen/Pitkin Co. Airport has more regular service from major carriers than any other regional ski town airport in North America. In the winter, its regular, weekly flights number more than 170 (not including extra flights often run during busy holiday seasons). In addition to regular service from Denver, Aspen sees more than 20 flights a week from Chicago and Los Angeles.[4]
In 2007, the runway was completely rehabilitated with new grooved asphalt. A partial length parallel taxiway A is located 320 ft (98 m) from the runway centerline on the east side of the runway, and serves general aviation on the north end of the airport and the commercial terminal on the south end. The airport meets modified FAA D-III airport reference code standards.
On April 4, 2011, the airport began a $15.5 million runway extension project which added 1,000 feet of runway length to the existing 8,006 feet long runway. This project was completed on November 2, 2011.[5]
Per Title X of the Pitkin County Code, the airport has several unique operating limitations. Due to non-standard runway/taxiway separation, the airport has a 95 ft (29 m) aircraft wingspan limitation. Aircraft weight is restricted to 100,000 pounds (45,000 kg) maximum certificated gross landing weight or less. For rough guidance, these restrictions preclude aircraft like the current 737 series and larger. The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport also has an airport operating curfew. No aircraft operations are permitted between 23:00 local and 07:00 local. No aircraft departures are permitted after 22:30 local. FAR Part 36 Stage II aircraft operations are not permitted more than 30 minutes after official sunset.[6] For most aircraft operations, especially commercial operations using CRJ-700 planes, aircraft must land to the south but take off to the north. This can lead to occasional delays, cancellations, and weight restrictions depending on wind strength and direction.
![]() | This article needs to be updated. (December 2016) |
The Aspen/Pitkin County airport terminal is a 44,000 square feet (4,100 m2) single floor facility, which has undergone several renovations since its original construction in 1976. The airport terminal hosts six rental car operations, a year-round guest services operation, plus Jeddadiahs restaurant and gift shops. The terminal has a cellphone parking lot to accommodate motorists waiting to pick up passengers. The 40 spaced parking lot is located in a manner to allow motorists to loop and re-access the terminal without getting back on HWY-82. Parking is not allowed in front of Aspen’s airport terminal.[7]
The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is certificated as a Class I, ARFF Index B commercial service airport under FAR Part 139. The airport's operations department is responsible for daily compliance with FAA Part 139, including daily airport safety inspections, rules and regulations enforcement, and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF). In July 2009, the airport took delivery of a new Oshkosh Striker 1500 Index B ARFF truck. Mutual aid response to airport incidents is provided by the Aspen Fire Department, Pitkin County Sheriffs Department, Aspen Ambulance, and others.
Airport operations staff operates from the airport's Operations Center, constructed in 2006 on the west side of the airport. This facility houses airport operations and facilities maintenance staff, as well as the airport's fleet of ARFF, snow removal, and other airport equipment.
General aviation services are provided by Atlantic Aviation, the airport's sole fixed-base operator.
The FAA has installed an FAA Weather Camera in addition to the Automated surface observing system (ASOS) available to help pilots determine the weather conditions at Aspen airport and the surrounding area.[8]
![]() | This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2022) |
Airlines | Destinations |
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American Eagle | Dallas/Fort Worth Seasonal: Austin,[9] Chicago–O'Hare, Los Angeles, Phoenix–Sky Harbor |
Delta Connection | Seasonal: Atlanta, Los Angeles[10] |
United Express | Denver Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, San Francisco |
Destinations map |
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![]() ![]() Aspen ![]() Dallas/Fort Worth Destinations from Aspen/Pitkin County Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination |
Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
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1 | Denver, CO | 61,000 | United |
2 | Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | 31,000 | American |
3 | Chicago–O'Hare, IL | 25,000 | American, United |
4 | Houston, TX | 13,000 | United |
5 | Los Angeles, CA | 11,000 | American, Delta, United |
6 | San Francisco, CA | 5,000 | United |
7 | Phoenix–Sky Harbor, AZ | 5,000 | American |
8 | Salt Lake City, UT | 1,000 | Delta |
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport remains closed and investigators are waiting until a private jet that sits belly up after an accident that killed one and injured two others can be stabilized so they can begin examining the wreckage.
A small plane crashed while trying to land at the Aspen, Colorado, airport Sunday, killing the co-pilot and injuring two others aboard, said Alex Burchetta with the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.