Colorado city ends yearslong effort to close airport
Boulder council commits to airport, will seek new grants
After at least six years of repeated efforts to close Boulder Municipal Airport, the city of Boulder, Colorado, is now moving to pursue new grant funds to maintain the airport—all but ensuring it will continue to play a key role in the community.
On July 23, the Boulder City Council voted 8-1 to continue operating the airport and seek federal and state funding for its upkeep. Councilmember Mark Wallach, who has pushed for the closure of the airport for years, resigned from the council following the vote.
The city of Boulder, which sponsors the airport, stopped accepting grants in 2020. That same year, AOPA got involved to help airport supporters respond to a local group opposing airport operations.
In 2021, AOPA helped airport stakeholders remove a clause in the city code that prohibited powered parachute operations.
In 2023, as some city council members sought avenues to close the airport and redevelop the land, AOPA reached out to the FAA after Wallach stated that, “we are going to close the airport.” In response, the FAA sent a letter to the city, reminding officials of their financial and grant assurance obligations.
Since some of the $12.7 million the city has accepted over the years was used to acquire land to expand the airport's footprint, the letter says the city is required to keep the airport open "in perpetuity," and that it cannot be closed without FAA permission.
Later that year, AOPA supported airport stakeholders in developing an informational campaign to educate Boulder residents about the importance of the airport.
In 2024, AOPA helped organize opposition to two local ballot initiatives to close the airport that would have gone before voters had organizers not withdrawn them.
At the same time, the city of Boulder filed a lawsuit against the FAA, petitioning to waive its obligation to keep the airport open in perpetuity. The court dismissed the case, and the city chose not to file an appeal.
In June 2025, Schuster presented AOPA's 2025 Advocacy Partnership Award to the Save Boulder Airport Association, for its unending—and ultimately successful—efforts.
"Airports across the country face threats every day, and Boulder was one of the most prominent examples for years," said Schuster. "But just as the vocal minority in the community organized against the airport, we worked closely with other organizations, including the Colorado Pilots Association and countless Boulder airport stakeholders, to educate the community on the airport's importance and how federal law protects airports like Boulder."
"This is the kind of fight AOPA exists for," said AOPA acting Co-President Katie Pribyl. "From the very beginning of this fight, we helped the people defending this airport get the facts and the backup they needed, and they won."
