BRIGHTON | A new FAA classification for the Colorado Air and Space Port as a national airport will clear the way for future funding possibilities, officials said.
The Colorado Air and Space Port, located southeast of Denver International Airport east of Aurora, between Watkins and Bennett, received its highest classification from the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, according to an Oct. 3 news release.
That classification is meant to position airports for funding to continue expansion. The FAA classifies airports as one of four types – Basic, Local, Regional and National. The Air and Space Port had been classified as a Regional airport since the FAA began using the system.
“Being recognized as a National airport is a game-changer for us,” said Jeff Kloska, director of Colorado Air and Space Port. “It’s a testament to the hard work of our team, the support of our community, and our vision to make CASP a hub for aviation and aerospace innovation. With this new status, we can continue to enhance our facilities and better serve our aviation partners.”
According to officials, the airport’s FAA-designated classification system is the accomplishment of working and improving its infrastructure, which is vital in aviation within its region.
The FAA airport classification system also determines an airport’s ability to receive grant funding.
With the Colorado Air and Space Port classification designation, the airport is positioned to receive FAA funding and vital grants for future development under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which assists the airport in expanding and remaining competitive.
“This new designation as a National General Aviation Airport shows the pivotal role CASP plays in the aviation community – not only here in Adams County but also across the nation,” said Emma Pinter, Adams County Commission board chairperson. “This recognition from the FAA opens doors for greater investment, growth, and job opportunities for the region. It’s also a testament to the incredible effort and dedication the team at CASP invests each day to elevating our county and community.”
Colorado Air and Space Port was formally Adams County Front Range Airport in Watkins, and it began its approved spaceport site operation license through the Federal Aviation Administration for a commercial space in August 2018.
It changed its name from Front Range Airport to Colorado Air and Space Port, with plans to change the face of passenger travel in the United States.
The Colorado Air and Space Port in Adams County is a horizontal launch and reentry site for public and private travel into space. Officials say a spaceplane could one day fly to 34,000 feet outside the earth’s atmosphere, spending up to four to eight minutes at its highest point. As the Earth rotates, the space plane will fly back down and could land in Paris or Europe in 90 minutes.
Colorado Air and Space Port is a dual airport designated as a General Aviation and a Reliever Airport with the FAA’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.
In 2019, Shuji Ogawa, president and CEO of PD AeroSpace, a Japanese Space Tourism Company, signed a letter of intent to operate and test a space plane at Colorado Air and Spaceport in Watkins. He is developing a fully reusable horizontal suborbital spaceplane called Pegasus that can take off and land at any spaceport.
Reaction Engines, a United Kingdom company, is also working at a Colorado Air and Space Port facility to develop the Sabre engine, a hypersonic engine design. Once they develop the engine, they want to build an airframe and aircraft around it. It is an eventual hypersonic point-to-point travel into suborbital flight with the potential for low-earth orbit satellite delivery into orbit.
Visit coloradoairandspaceport.com for details about Colorado Air and Space Port aviation and aerospace operations and economic development opportunities.