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Airports
Garfield County Regional Airport
Garfield County Regional Airport (RIL) is located in Rifle, Colorado, 27 miles west of Glenwood Springs. Because of its location in a mild climate zone, winter flights are rarely a problem. This makes Rifle a preferred choice to nearby mountain airports where winter storm closures often inhibit air travel.
As a convenient alternative regional airport, Rifle Airport is only 46 miles from Eagle, 61 miles from Aspen, 65 miles from Grand Junction, and 88 miles from Vail.
Rifle Airport is highly suitable for private aircraft, designated in Colorado as a preferred General Aviation Mountain Business Jet Airport. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the airport is located in a rural setting and therefore has no noise restrictions. As a General Aviation airport, commercial airport security regulations do not apply. Rifle is also STMP (Special Traffic Management Procedures) friendly.
Rifle Airport recently saw infrastructure improvement of $47 million, of which $7.5 million were county funds:
$39.5 million in overhaul and upgrades from the Federal Aviation Administration for a new, seamless runway, full parallel taxiway, new ILS approach, 40% increase in ramp parking, new Doppler VOR/DME, and FAA Category B-II to D-II upgrade.
$7.5 million in upgrades from Garfield County for nine developed hangar parcels, an asphalt overlay for the ramp, a new aircraft parking ramp, a new Airport Administration Building, a new security camera system, upgraded ARFF vehicle, new airfield electrical back-up generators, new high intensity rotating beacon, and a complete fuel farm overhaul.
Design standards include a 7,000-foot long, 100-foot wide seamless runway paved with continuous uniformity to avoid jolts for landing aircraft. The runway and full parallel taxiway are designed for heavy aircraft traffic up to 134,500 lbs gross landing weight, making the Rifle Airport suitable for a wide range of aircraft.
Potential Development Site
Potential transportation hub, the Rifle Airport has been the focus of Garfield County's historic economic development efforts. In an effort to leverage opportunities around the airport, the county has agreed to jointly participate in activities sponsored by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), including attending a conference for schedulers and dispatchers. With the right development approach, the county assumes that the Rifle Airport can become a catalyst for local job growth.
Garfield County is committed to working with the fixed base operator (FBO), Atlantic Aviation, to develop a strategy that will improve Atlantic's infrastructure, help market the airport, and identify additional business opportunities. Through this collaboration, a new terminal is under consideration that would provide more space and greater amenities for pilots who make use of the airport. Future plans also call for improvements to the appearance of the airport entrance.
The county has met with the principal of the Airport Land Partners planned unit development, a PUD covering over 1,200 acres of land adjacent to the airport that has already received approvals for commercial, residential and industrial uses.
Showcasing the airport's commercial/industrial potential, the Rifle Airport is the site of a major solar energy array that provides clean, renewable energy for local subscribers. When the installation of 3,600 photovoltaic solar panels was completed in June, 2011 by the Clean Energy Collective (CEC), it was the largest commercial solar array in Colorado.
The Rifle Airport is coming of age, both as a convenient transportation hub and as a regional site for development opportunities.
Airport Contacts
Garfield County Regional Airport
0375 County Road 352, Bldg 2060
Rifle, Colorado 81650
970-625-1091 | phone
970-625-8501 | fax
rifleairport@gmail.com | email
Fixed Based Operator
Atlantic Aviation
0375 County Road 352, Bldg 3000
Rifle, Colorado 81650
970-625-4833 | phone
970-625-4848 | fax
www.atlanticaviation.com | website.
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