Officials optimistic about funding an international terminal at Eagle County’s airport

The Eagle County Regional Airport this year has added two new domestic carriers: Alaska and Frontier airlines. The next step is international service. That’s far more complicated.

Airport officials have been working in earnest for more than two years to develop plans to serve international commercial flights at the airport. That’s a project that will require a separate terminal with federal customs service.

Eagle County Aviation Director David Reid said local officials have spent the last couple of years working on design specifications and other rules.

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Assistant Director Josh Miller said he’s been meeting at least monthly with officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That work should soon result in a package of final design parameters and estimated costs.

Part of those federal specifications is a requirement to design the facility to a level that the local terminal may never meet — 250 passengers per hour. That’s the lowest level possible in the federal design standard, Miller said.

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“We’re expecting (flights) about three times a week,” Reid said, adding that at this point there aren’t any pending service agreements with carriers, although “there’s a lot of interest,” he said.

The next step is putting together a request for proposals to send to general contractors.

That work should lead to some fairly firm cost estimates. At this point, the ballpark estimate is around $20 to $21 million.

The new terminal will use the old passenger terminal at the airport, next door to the Signature Aviation private aviation facility.

Miller said that old space will be gutted “all the way to the bones.” That will include a new roof, new heating, ventilation and air conditioning and a roughly 7,500 square-foot addition to the existing 12,500 square-foot space.

While the discussions with the federal officials have continued, other discussions have started on perhaps the most important element of the project: how to pay for it.

Some federal funding — about $1.5 million — has received initial approval, and there’s some money in the airport’s accounts.

While the Federal Aviation Administration pays a 90% match for most of the improvements at the airport — taxiways, radar, runway rehabilitation and the like — that agency doesn’t pay for things like international terminals. The other problem is that the airport doesn’t use money from local taxpayers. The facility has to pay its own way, with user fees covering expenses at the facility.

Reid said the most viable option for an international terminal is some form of public-private partnership to take advantage of the valley’s longtime connection with visitors and homeowners from Mexico and South America.

An international terminal “really benefits so many stakeholders,” Reid said. “People are going to realize it’s a potential game-changer.”

If that partner is found, Reid said the first carrier to use the facility would be a new one to the airport.

If all the pieces fall into place — and Reid is optimistic — the project could start in 2025.