Airport Serves Important Aviation and Economic Roles IN NORTH METRO AREA By Kristen Beckman
Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA) opened in 1960 and has been owned and operated by Jefferson County continuously for 62 years. The airport, better known to many longtime area residents as Jeffco Airport, is Colorado’s fourth-busiest airport. Photo by Timothy Seibert, Flatirons Pro Media
The airport serves an important function in the National Airspace System. It is one of three reliever airports in the Denver Metro area. The primary function of a reliever airport is to relieve congestion at an air carrier airport by diverting general aviation traffic away from that airport, in this case Denver International Airport. Owned by Jefferson County, the airport sits on property midway between Denver and Boulder off Highway 36. Jefferson County bought 1,700 acres of land for the airport in 1959 and began operations the next year with one runway, a 600 square-foot hangar, a terminal building, and space for 17 aircraft.
Photo by Timothy Seibert, Flatirons Pro Media
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Our Broomfield™ Magazine | February 2022
As aircraft operations increased, there was a need for an air traffic control tower. Construction began in 1965 and the original 62-foot tower went into operation in 1967. Shortly after, the airport became the busiest general aviation airport in Colorado. In 2005, the airport changed its name to RMMA to reflect its location between Denver and the Rocky Mountains. Throughout its six-decade history, the airport has evolved, adding runways, facilities, and services to accommodate local aviation needs. Aircraft operations and development activity have ebbed and flowed with the state of the overall economy, said Airport Director Paul Anslow. “While peak aeronautical activity occurred in 1977 with nearly 250,000 operations, the 2010s saw a strong recovery, from 120,000 operations in 2010 to nearly 190,000 operations in 2020,” he said. While the airport does not currently host scheduled air carrier service, it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as a public-use airport that can accommodate all types of aircraft. A staff of 25 people administer ground leases and financing of the airport, maintain the airfield to FAA standards, and provide airport-rescue and fire-fighting support. The airport has received numerous awards and national recognition for airfield safety and snow removal operations. Today, the airport serves as a significant economic generator in Jefferson County and along the US36 corridor, serving as a base
