About Regional Air Service

In late 2005, the plan to bring in large aircraft was abandoned and a project team was created to bring in regional air service, hopefully by December 2006. Air service by Horizon Airlines actually began in December 2008 with one round trip per day from Los Angeles (LAX).

Two of the candidate aircraft appear in the photos to the right. These aircraft are small enough that many of the airport layout issues do not exist. The aircraft being used is the Bombardier Q-400 turboprop shown in the lower photo. It is dwsigned for short takeoff at high altitude and is also used at Aspen by United. The Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet shown in the upper photo would also work, but with reduced performance because of the short runway.

The restoration of commercial air service was a big job:

  • The FAA as well as the airline had to approve the airport layout plan. Even for the small aircraft shown, the existing airport did not quite meet all the layout specifications for such aircraft. Some construction was required.
  • FAA funding was obtained after the property issues described in this history were resolved. This process resulted in a lawsuit by Hot Creek Development. A mono County jury awarded the developer over $30 million in damages. The decision is being appealed.
  • The Town completed both a federal and a state environemental review on the new proposal, which include treatment of the points raised in the federal lawsuit. This process/ , which included reviews of property transfers and leases, took several years.
  • The runway was completely repaved at a cost of several million dollars, using FAA grants that also funded a new automatic weather observatory.
  • The existing snowplow and firehouse was converted into a passenger terminal. The plows and fire engine are stored in the existing hangars.
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RJ-700

Bombardier CRJ-700 70-passenger (coach) regional jet, as flown by Horizon. Wingspan 76 feet, classified as C-II.

Q400

Bombardier Q400 74-passenger (coach) turboprop, as flown by Horizon. Wingspan 93 feet, classified as B-III.