Denver's Dual Airports: An Aerial Advantage

Denver, Colorado, is served by multiple airports. The primary airport is Denver International Airport (DEN), which is the largest airport in the Western Hemisphere by land area. It is located 25 miles northeast of Downtown Denver and serves 25 airlines offering non-stop service to over 215 destinations. In addition to DEN, there are several other commercial airports in the region, including Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and Centennial Airport, which handle primarily regional or domestic flights. Buckley Air Force Base can also accommodate large commercial planes but does not regularly handle commercial traffic.

Denver International Airport

The airport features a distinctive design, with its internationally recognised peaked roof resembling snow-capped mountains, a reference to Colorado's landscape. The roof is supported by a catenary steel cable system, similar to that of the Brooklyn Bridge. The airport also boasts an extensive public art collection, including sculptures, murals, photos, sound art, and paintings.

The airport has a unique history, with its construction delayed by various events, including a millwright strike and issues with the automated baggage system. It finally opened in 1995, 16 months behind schedule and significantly over budget. The construction employed 11,000 workers and cost $4.8 billion, nearly $2 billion over the initial budget.

Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport

Denver, Colorado, is served by multiple airports, one of which is the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA). Located in Jefferson County, the airport is situated 16 miles (26 km) northwest of the central business district of Denver and is the closest airport to downtown Denver. It is also the fourth busiest airport in Colorado.

Formerly known as Jefferson County Airport or Jeffco Airport, the airport was renamed Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in October 2006, although it is sometimes referred to as the Rocky Mountain Regional Airport. The airport covers an area of 1,700 acres (688 ha) and is situated at an elevation of 5,673 feet (1,729 m) above mean sea level. It features three asphalt-paved runways: 12L/30R, 12R/30L, and 3/21. The runway numbering was changed in November 2014 to align with magnetic directions, and the primary runway (12L/30R) underwent an $8.83 million renovation.

The Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport is a public-use airport owned and operated by Jefferson County. It is classified as a reliever airport and is home to a diverse aviation population, including corporate traffic and several flight schools. The airport's proximity to the Interlocken business district contributes to its clientele of business travellers. Additionally, the airport has a control tower and two fixed-base operators (FBOs) that offer fuel and other services.

In terms of operations and facilities, the airport had 262,348 aircraft operations in the 12 months ending December 31, 2022, averaging 718 per day. During this period, 95% of the operations were general aviation, 4% were air taxi, and less than 1% each were military and air carrier. There were 476 aircraft based at the airport, including single-engine, multi-engine, jet, helicopter, and glider aircraft. The airport has also been the site of several aviation incidents and accidents.

Centennial Airport

The airport covers 1,400 acres (567 ha) at an elevation of 5,885 feet (1,794 m). It has three asphalt runways: 17L/35R is 10,000 by 100 feet (3,048 x 30 m); 17R/35L is 7,001 by 77 feet (2,134 x 23 m); and 10/28 is 4,800 by 75 feet (1,463 x 23 m). In 2018, the airport recorded 337,947 aircraft operations, averaging 925 per day: 89% general aviation, 10% air taxi, and 2% military. 840 aircraft were based at this airport as of 2018: 569 single-engine, 104 multi-engine, 147 jets, and 20 helicopters.

As one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, Centennial Airport is a significant economic driver, supporting over 125 businesses and more than 10,000 jobs in the region. The airport is financially self-sufficient, generating approximately $2.1 billion in economic impact without relying on local taxpayer money.

Buckley Air Force Base

Denver International Airport (DEN) is the primary airport serving the city of Denver, Colorado. Located 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Downtown Denver, it is the largest airport in the Western Hemisphere by land area, spanning 33,531 acres (52.4 sq mi; 135.7 km2). With over 40,000 employees, DEN is the largest employer in Colorado and has consistently ranked among the top 20 busiest airports in the world since 2000.

While Denver International Airport is the main aviation hub in the region, there is another notable air base in the vicinity: Buckley Space Force Base. Located in Aurora, Colorado, Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base named after First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley, a World War I pilot from Longmont, Colorado. The base has a long and varied history, reflecting its changing roles over the years.

History of Buckley Space Force Base

Buckley Space Force Base was established in 1938 by the United States Army Air Corps as the Demolition Bombing Range-Lowry Auxiliary Field. In 1941, it was renamed Buckley Field in honor of First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. During World War II, it served as an Army Air Corps Technical School, training over 52,000 armament students, 4,500 arctic survival students, and 37,000 basic trainees.

After the war, in 1947, the base transitioned to the United States Navy and became Naval Air Station Denver, serving as a reserve air station. This period saw the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Fighter Wing and its fighter squadrons flying aircraft like the F-51 Mustang and the F-80 Shooting Star.

In 1960, the base was transferred to the Department of the Air Force and became Buckley Air National Guard Base, the first stand-alone Air National Guard base in the United States Air Force. The 1960s also marked the beginning of Buckley's involvement in space operations, with the development of the Defense Support Program ground station.

In 2000, the base was renamed Buckley Air Force Base and assigned to Air Force Space Command. This transition reflected the growing importance of its space mission. Finally, in 2021, with the establishment of the United States Space Force, the base assumed its current name, Buckley Space Force Base.

Current Operations at Buckley Space Force Base

Buckley Space Force Base is home to various units and missions, including:

• Space Base Delta 2: Responsible for administering the base and providing support to approximately 93,000 military, civilian, contractor, and family members.
• Space Delta 4: The primary unit at the base, responsible for missile warning, missile defense, battlespace awareness, and technical intelligence.
• 140th Wing (Colorado Air National Guard): Consisting of five groups, the 140th Wing provides fighter, space-based early missile warning, and support forces.
• 710th Operations Group: Part of the Air Force Reserve Command's 310th Space Wing, it includes squadrons associated with space control, combat training, and space warning.
• 544th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group: Provides global, space-related information to national agencies and warfighting commands.
• Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado: A multi-mission ground station supporting defense operations and intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination.
• Joint Overhead Persistent Infrared Center: A joint organization conducting integrated mission management for the OPIR enterprise, serving national-level decision-makers and warfighters.

Former Stapleton International Airport

Denver's first international airport, Stapleton International Airport, opened as a small municipal airport in 1929-30 and went on to become the region's primary airport for sixty-five years. It was a hub for several major airlines, including Continental Airlines, United Airlines, and Western Airlines.

Benjamin Stapleton, mayor of Denver (except for the 1931-35 term) from 1923 to 1947, played a key role in the airport's development. He wanted to consolidate Denver's growing aviation industry around a single airport and, with the help of his Improvements and Parks Department manager, Charles Vail, laid the groundwork for what would become Stapleton International Airport.

The airport opened on October 17, 1929, as Denver Municipal Airport (DMA), with a four-day program of events. Only three airlines had offices in the two-story administration building at the time, and the facility functioned more like a post office as the primary purpose of these companies was flying mail. However, by the end of its first full year of service in 1930, DMA was already turning a profit, with thirty takeoffs and landings registered every day.

In 1937, both United and Continental Airlines began offering service to and from DMA, and by the end of the 1930s, it had become Denver's premier airport. The airport continued to grow throughout the 1940s and 1950s, with the addition of new wings to the administration building, a new control tower, and increased flight traffic. The first jet flight out of Denver took off from Stapleton on May 6, 1959—a Continental Boeing 707.

By the 1960s, Stapleton had become the third-busiest airport in the country, serving more than 2 million passengers annually. The airport underwent further expansion during this decade, including the addition of a new control tower, two new concourses, and new sections for the terminal, giving it a distinctive horseshoe shape.

However, by the 1980s, plans were underway to replace Stapleton due to several issues, including inadequate lateral separation between runways, limited room for other airlines, and legal threats by Adams County residents over runway extensions. The Colorado General Assembly brokered a deal in 1985 to annex land in Adams County for the construction of a new airport, which was approved by voters in 1988.

Stapleton International Airport was officially replaced by the new Denver International Airport (DEN) on February 28, 1995, bringing an end to its sixty-five years of service. The IATA and ICAO airport codes of DEN and KDEN were transferred to the new airport, and the Stapleton site was redeveloped into a commercial and residential neighborhood, now known as Central Park.

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