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When did Centennial Airport open?
Centennial Airport - originally called Arapahoe County Airport - opened in May 1967 as a general aviation reliever airport for Stapleton International Airport. The airport was needed because concerned members of the Denver business community felt light aircraft were being crowded out at Stapleton Field.

At that time, the Airport’s location was considered far outside the urban area, and much of the development you see around the Airport today – the residential, commercial and retail – didn’t exist. But community leaders, as well as the business community, envisioned Centennial Airport about the same time the Denver Tech Center was being developed.Centennial continues to be the major local reliever airport for Denver International Airport, so that DIA can focus its capacity on airline operations.

Centennial consistently ranks the second busiest airport in the nation among airports that are not certified for airline services, and in the top 25 of all airports, including LAX, Chicago’s O’Hare and New York’s La Guardia.(Back)

What is the County’s role in the airport?
Arapahoe County created the airport as a department of the County in March 1963. In 1975, the County created the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority – a separate political entity from the County - because major expansion of the Airport was imminent and required bond funding.

The Authority was created because issuance of Revenue Bonds was much simpler under the State’s Airport Authority statute than under the County’s requirements. Essentially, creating the Authority made it easier to facilitate future financing needs for the airport. With exception of a one-time $1.5 million contribution this year to repair an aging runway, the Airport does not receive funding from the County.

Essentially, the County’s role in the airport involves three things:

1. The initial act of creating the authority;
2. Appointment of members of the governing Board of Commissioners of the Authority;
3. And, insuring the continuity of Federal Sponsor Assurances in case the Authority is dissolved.

A Board of Commissioners governs the Airport and consists of 5 voting Arapahoe County representatives and 3 non-voting Douglas County representatives. Of Arapahoe County’s five representatives, three are County Commissioners.

When the Authority was created, it was empowered to issue bonds, acquire property under condemnation, charge fees, lease land, regulate use of the Airport, construct and maintain facilities, enter into contracts with the state or federal government, and pass resolutions and orders necessary for the governance and affairs of the Authority.

Arapahoe County wants to ensure the success of the airport, not only from an economic aspect, but from a safety and noise issue as well. Arapahoe County work closely with our local communities to protect the encroachment of growth, as well as steer the right types of growth around the airport, in order to ensure its future in our community. (Back)

What economic benefit does Centennial provide?
Just look at the Denver Tech Center and the area surrounding the airport. It is alive with commercial, industrial and retail development that is interdependent upon the airport. A 2003 economic impact study performed by the Colorado Division of Aeronautics indicated that Centennial Airport has a $815 million impact on the local and Colorado economy. The Airport's payroll alone is $95 million annually, which generates $239 million in direct economic activity. The study also found that Centennial ranks second behind Denver International Airport in creation of airport jobs in the state. In fact, nearly 1,900 people are employed in the Centennial Airport area. If Centennial Airport were a single employer, it would ranks as the 7th largest employer in the region right behind ATT/Comcast, Great West Life, JD Edwards, First Data, EchoStar and Quest. The airport is home to a number of Colorado's largest companies and generates a significant amount of business traffic for Denver and Colorado. The airport is used by 32 of the top 100, and seven of the top 10 Fortune 500 companies. (Back)

Why isn’t Centennial Airport privately owned?
Generally, privately owned airports only exist as small landing strips. General Aviation Airports the size of Centennial are either owned by a municipality or county - and all receive some type of federal or local funding. It is not economically feasible for an airport the size of Centennial to be privately owned. The capital requirements alone - runways, control towers, and security are too cost prohibitive for private ownership.(Back)

What are the issues surrounding the airport?
The Centennial Airport Board of Commissioners, as well as the Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners has long stated that Centennial is, and should remain, a general aviation reliever airport for DIA. In 1993, the Airport Board banned commercial airline service with planes of 10 to 30 seats and voted again in 1997 to ban commercial passenger service of nine seats or fewer.

In response to that decision, the Federal Aviation Administration terminated Centennial's eligibility for federal Airport Improvement Program grants. At that time, the FAA maintained that when Centennial accepted prior grants, it agreed to abide by certain grant assurances. One of those assurances was that the airport remains open to all types and classes of aeronautical users. In the FAA's view, the ban on scheduled passenger service wais discriminatory to a class of users.

As a result, Centennial Airport lost approximately $1.5 million a year. That money was not operating revenue. Rather, it was used for capital and safety improvements – money that was desperately needed at the airport.To address the compliance issue, the Board of Commissioners put together a community task force to develop a solution to the funding and compliance issue. On April 11, 2002, the Board passed a resolution to:

1. Allow scheduled passenger service of 9 seats or less

2. Pursue legislation that would allow the airport to lawfully ban all scheduled passenger service, and

3. Place an initiative on the the November 2002 ballot to impose a one-third mill levy on Arapahoe County residents in case the airport was not in compliance by that time.

The mill levy was not needed. On February 13, 2003, Congress approved the “0” seat rule, which means reliever airports within 25 nautical miles of major airports, like DIA, do not have to provide passenger service to be eligible for federal capital improvement funds. This legislation, was signed into law by President Bush in 2003 and will result in restarting the federal money that Centennial lost during the last several years. (Back)