Durango-La Plata County Airport Director Tony Vicari told the Colorado Aeronautical Board on Dec. 17 that airline passenger traffic at Durango (DRO) is up sharply this year, with the airport on track to handle roughly 280,000 passengers by year end. "Airline passenger traffic here at DRO is up 13% over what was a record breaking 2024," Vicari said.

The airport is also seeing broad operational growth: general aviation fuel flowage increased about 17% year over year, and DRO hosted record activity for the Forest Service tanker base in 2025, Vicari said. He described a three‑year terminal expansion scheduled to wrap by 2026, recent baggage-claim capacity added in August and a growing need for additional public parking. "We now have, after this year's projects, a little over 1,300 total public parking spaces at the airport, and it's still not enough," he said.

Vicari credited earlier state support with helping speed projects. "The CAB did approve an $8,000,000 State Infrastructure Bank loan to DRO last year, which is one of the key pieces that allowed us to execute this project in conjunction with a series of federal and state grants," he said. He also reported a $2,000,000 upgrade this year to the airport's wastewater treatment system performed in cooperation with CDPHE to meet state requirements.

Why it matters: Rapid passenger and GA growth can bring economic benefits but create infrastructure pressure. The airport's experience — stronger-than-average growth compared with national trends, rising fuel metrics, and investments to expand terminal capacity — illustrates how smaller regional airports are managing demand while coordinating grant, loan and federal assistance.

Supporting details: Vicari summarized airline network changes supporting growth: daily United and American service, expanding summer seasonal service to Houston and increasing use of larger aircraft that contribute to surge events. He also noted increased firefighting-related traffic and said that parking, rental-car and concession revenues are up. The presentation included project timelines and photos of terminal phases and recent improvements.

Next steps: Vicari said DRO will continue phased terminal work into 2026 and pursue additional parking and infrastructure projects; board members asked operations and revenue questions, including confirmation that public vehicle parking is charged $9 per day.

Ending note: The Durango update highlighted how state loans and coordinated federal grants can accelerate regional airport improvements amid unexpected passenger growth.