Beginning this month, activity ramps up at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport as winter air service begins. Routes offered will increase from just United Airline’s daily flights to Denver to non-stop direct access to 14 U.S. cities.

Five airlines, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue and United Airlines, will serve routes to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC.

The airline program is funded through a 2% lodging tax and a contribution from the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. Owned and operated by Routt County, YVRA, located outside of Hayden 25 miles west of Steamboat Springs, is the only commercial airport serving all of Northwest Colorado. “Like most commercial airports, we’ve evolved over the years,” said Airport Manager Kevin Booth. “Now we have a 10,000 foot runway, commercial parking for seven aircrafts and we are sized for 767’s.”

The airport, which was originally constructed in 1966, recently completed a $5.5M commercial apron expansion. YVRA was also recently awarded a $2.6M grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of its Airport Improvement Program.

Construction on improvements will begin after the 2019/20 ski season, with the goal to complete the addition of a seventh gate and a 120-seat waiting area in the secure section by next winter. Plans are in place to improve the flow of people in the terminal and to reconfiguration of the ticketing area.

The expansion will allow the airport to accommodate more flights and the ability to add an additional airline. Annually, the airport receives federal funding based on the total number of passengers. Last winter, YVRA won a statewide award for excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration.