Backcountry-apron users urge Boise Airport not to eliminate Gate 58; staff says Concourse A footprint conflicts with current location

BOISE, Idaho — During Feb. 5 public comment at the Boise Airport Commission meeting, aviation operators and users urged the commission and staff to preserve access that had been provided by the “backcountry apron” (commonly called Gate 58) or to identify an equivalent location in design plans for Concourse A.

Joe Schroeder, who requested the item be placed on the agenda, told commissioners the airport’s backcountry apron has been a longstanding resource for rural air travel in Idaho and warned that removing it would reduce connectivity to smaller communities. “This backcountry apron that has been at the Boise Airport for decades, that is the only support that rural air travel in our state gets,” Schroeder said. He cited examples of rural communities and past plans (including operations by McCall Aviation) that depended on apron access for short…