People flying in and out of Pueblo Memorial Airport will board jets for the first time in six years beginning Thursday, May 1. That’s a big change for the route to and from Denver, the airport's only flight destination at this time.
The 30- to 50-seat passenger jets flown by Pueblo’s new carrier, Denver Air Connection, will replace the nine passenger prop planes currently in service. That means more reliability and improved ADA accessibility, issues causing trouble for the airport according to the facility’s director of aviation Greg Pedroza.
“We did lose a lot of folks that in their frustration will claim ‘we'll never fly out of Pueblo again,’” he said. “Well, we’re hoping that they will realize it was the airline and it wasn't the Pueblo airport and give us another chance.”
The new carrier will get federal subsidies over the next two years, totalling more than $13 million to operate the federally supported Essential Air Service program. Pedroza said he expects that will help keep fares low so the idea of flying to Denver International Airport can compete with the expenses and potential hassle involved in driving to the larger airport.
“They're (Denver Air Connection) going to be very mindful that their price point is competitive to that drive and all the other expenses that come along with going to Denver or Colorado Springs,” he said.
Pedroza noted that parking is free at Pueblo Memorial Airport and it’s only seven miles from downtown Pueblo so flyers can save on gas. TSA security lines are short and easier to navigate, since only one plane boards at any given time.
Denver Air Connection is offering 12 nonstop round trips per week to DIA. The carrier, which currently flies in and out of locations including Alamosa, Cortez and Telluride, was one of the top picks for Pueblo City officials and the public among five airlines bidding on the route.
The number of passengers who flew in and out of Pueblo dropped precipitously during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement from Mayor Heather Graham's office. Less reliable service on smaller turboprop aircraft also contributed to the decline.
"Small-sized aircraft do not meet the needs of our community," Graham said in the statement, and "ADA accessibility is a must."
That decrease in passenger numbers also meant that the airport had a harder time qualifying for federal grants for things like runway improvements.
“If we get 10,000 people to buy their tickets and start their trip in Pueblo, then we reach a hundred percent funding level that continually provides us with dollars to do projects,” Pedroza said.
Pedroza said he and the mayor’s office are also working on ways to pay for a $5 million upgrade at the airport that would include new restrooms for passengers who have gone through TSA security checks, as well as eventually improving the drop-off and pick-up area in front of the terminal.
“We do have a renovation project for the airport terminal shovel-ready. The design is already on the shelf here in my office,” he said. “The mayor is committed to trying to help us find some funds so that we can pull the trigger and get that done.”
The airport recently ended its contract with the food concessionaire that was running the restaurant there and is looking for a new vendor to serve passengers, employees and people working at and visiting other facilities in the industrial park and surrounding areas.
Pedroza said their goal is to make it an easy choice to fly in and out of Pueblo.
He said if they can show that there’s demand for travel to and from Pueblo, it's possible that could attract other airlines to offer services to other cities as well.
“But we have to support the airline that's here,” he said. “We have to put butts in those seats.”
