July 2018

298 299 TELLURIDE REGIONAL AIRPORT hangar for transient aircraft storage, twelve other smaller hangars, and the dual-purpose terminal building, that is both the general aviation and a remodeled commercial air carrier terminal, which should be returning to the Airport in December. The Airport Authority has just completed over a million dollars in improvements to the terminal, including a TSA screening area, commercial space, and an addi- tional 7,245 square feet to the general aviation FBO. “There are convenient alternate airports that are within 1 ½ hours of Telluride if aircraft cannot land here at TEX due to inclement weather. TEX is a priority destination airport because we are just five miles from the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village.We are the leader in customer service and alternate airports are looking to us as we enhance our services to live up to the Telluride brand.” Our short-term focus is aircraft parking that is in short supply. “During the busy weekends: Presidents Day, Winter Holidays, Telluride Film Festi- val, and Labor Day, we are packed, and we don’t have a lot of aircraft parking area,” says Maenpa. “This is also espe- cially true during the ski season.We are hopeful that we will be able to begin construction of additional air- craft parking apron and future hangar development on the south side within the next few years.” A critical business operation of the Telluride Airport Authority is that it not only manages the Airport, it is also the Fixed-Base Operator (FBO). The Airport provides aircraft services such as fueling, hangar, tie-down, and parking. “That is a really fun part of my business day,” says Maenpa. “Typical airport managers focus on operations and capital improvements.We not only do that, but we also run the heart of the airport operation which is the FBO, providing aircraft services directly to aircraft