[BoulderCouncilHotline] The Airport

From: Wallach, Mark <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, Apr 1, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Subject: [BoulderCouncilHotline] The Airport
To: HOTLINE <[email protected]>


As lengthy and detailed Hotlines are now becoming increasingly popular, I thought I would switch things up and write a relatively brief one.

I first want to state that I am entirely in favor of the proposal to take a CDOT grant to accelerate the transition from leaded to unleaded fuel at the Boulder airport. This is a terrific first step, and I hope that it will be supported enthusiastically by Council.

Notwithstanding that enthusiasm, I note that the City’s Avgas Transition Plan, a supporting document for the grant, extensively relies upon a 2025 Colorado Aviation Impact Study to argue for the great economic impact of the airport on the local economy. This is an industry report and states figures that are highly questionable. The concept that the airport supports 281 full-time jobs is unsupportable; one only need visit the facility to know that this is not true.

I would also be delighted to better understand the calculation that the airport generated $78.3MM in economic impact in 2023. How was that figure arrived at? Where has that money gone? It is clear that those revenues have not accrued to the airport itself, and I am eager to be informed as to the premises of that calculation.

To put it another way, if we have 50,000 pilots traveling to Boulder each year (do we?), each one would have to stop in Boulder and spend $1,560 during their visit to generate $78MM  in revenues for this community. That is a lot of dinners at Frasca. 
 
To paraphrase the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts. The airport and its ultimate use is a highly controversial subject, and this is not the moment for a detailed debate on that topic. But when we discuss the operations of the airport and its role in this community, is it too much to ask that we not rely on industry-generated studies that exaggerate its financial benefits and stick to those facts that can be fully documented?

And can I get one of those dinners at Frasca?

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