In response to a recent campaign calling for the closure of Boulder Municipal Airport, a group of residents issued a counter-petition voicing their support for the airport’s continued operation.
The airport has been at the center of a contentious debate as the city grapples with various proposals for its future, including keeping the existing airport with upgraded facilities, improving some aspects of the airport while adding new amenities, or decommissioning it altogether for development.
Several residents have signed a petition in support of the latter, with many expressing frustration with noise and the dangers of leaded aviation gasoline.
However, while not impossible, closing the airport would be an uphill battle. In an April 2023 letter to the mayor, the FAA reminded the city of its obligation to maintain the airport after accepting some $12.7 million in AIP funds. Additionally, with 59 based aircraft and 50,000 annual operations, the FAA said Boulder Municipal Airport serves an important role within the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) and is healthy by any general aviation airport standards the FAA said.
Further, the letter noted, “It is FAA’s policy to strengthen the national airports system and not to support the closure of public airports. The FAA has rarely approved an application to close an airport. Such approvals were only in highly unusual circumstances where closing the airport provided a benefit to civil aviation.”
Meanwhile the campaign to keep the airport open has garnered widespread support. Proponents argue that closure would pose significant risk to the community, cost at least $100 million dollars, require drawn-out legal proceedings with the FAA and would not allow for new home developments for approximately 20 years.
Supporters emphasized the airport’s critical role during emergencies with one writing, “The Boulder Airport is a critical piece to our city. As a local that is born and raised in Boulder and that lived half a mile down the road from the airport I have experienced and witnessed the critical times when the airport has come into play during wildfires in the Boulder area, 2013 Flood, and many other times.” Another resident criticized any attempt to close the airport as a “short-sighted justification for destroying irreplaceable vital infrastructure.”
