Cortez Municipal Airport

Cortez Municipal Airport (IATA: CEZ, ICAO: KCEZ, FAA LID: CEZ) (Montezuma County Airport) is three miles southwest of Cortez, in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States.[1] It is served by one airline operating scheduled passenger service, Boutique Air, with its flights subsidized by the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.

Cortez Municipal Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Cortez
ServesCortez, Colorado
Elevation AMSL5,918 ft / 1,804 m
Coordinates37°18′11″N 108°37′41″W
WebsiteCEZ Website
Map
CEZ
CEZ
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 7,205 2,196 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Aircraft operations9,834
Based aircraft26

History

Its first scheduled passenger airline flights were operated by Monarch Airlines (1946-1950) with Douglas DC-3s in 1949. By 1977, Monarch successor Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) was operating Convair 580 turboprop service direct to Albuquerque and Denver as well as nonstop to nearby Farmington.[2] Frontier had ceased serving Cortez by 1982.

Following cessation of service by Frontier, Cortez was served by several commuter air carriers over the years. During the mid-1980s, two airlines were serving the airport: Pioneer Airlines operating code sharing flights as Continental Express on behalf of Continental Airlines with direct service from Denver via a stop in Grand Junction flown with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner commuter propjets,[3][4] and Trans-Colorado Airlines operating independently with direct service from Denver via a stop in Durango also flown with Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner aircraft.[5][4] In 1989, Mesa Airlines was the only air carrier serving Cortez with nonstop flights from Denver and direct flights from Albuquerque via a stop in Farmington both operated with Beechcraft commuter turboprops.[6][7] By 1995, Mesa Airlines was operating code sharing flights as United Express on behalf of United Airlines with nonstop service from Denver and Farmington flown with Beechcraft 1900D and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia commuter propjets.[8] In 2000, Great Lakes Airlines was operating code sharing service as United Express on behalf of United Airlines with nonstop Beechcraft 1900D flights to Denver.[9] Great Lakes Airlines then operated nonstop Beechcraft 1900D service primarily to Denver as an independent air carrier from 2001 through 2016.[10][11]

Miracle at Cortez

A USAF Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft made an emergency nighttime forced landing on August 3, 1959, at the Cortez Municipal Airport.[12] Major H. Mike Hua (now retired as General)[13] was on a training flight originating at Laughlin AFB, Texas; the U-2 aircraft engine flamed out at 70,000 feet MSL. Maj. Hua established best glide and was able to navigate through a valley to a lighted airport that wasn't on his map nor did he know of its existence beforehand. The airport was the only one in the area with a runway that was lighted overnight.[12]

Facilities

Cortez Municipal Airport covers 622 acres (252 ha) at an elevation of 5,918 feet (1,804 m). Its one runway, 3/21, is 7,205 by 100 feet (2,196 x 30 m) asphalt.[1]

In 2019 the airport had 9,834 aircraft operations, average 27 per day: 86% general aviation, 13% air taxi, and <1% military. 26 aircraft were then based at the airport: 85% single-engine, 1% multi-engine, and <1% helicopter.[1] The airport is an uncontrolled airport and has no control tower.[14]

Airline and destinations
AirlinesDestinations
Boutique Air Denver, Phoenix–Sky Harbor

Boutique Air currently operates Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft on its flights serving Cortez.[15]

Statistics
Passenger boardings (enplanements) by year, as per the FAA[16]
Year 2009 [17] 2010 [18] 2011 [19] 2012 [20] 2013[21] 2014[22] 2015[23] 2016[24] 2017[25] 2018[26] 2019[27]
Enplanements 7,698 6,342 6,989 7,548 8,218 3,835 2,303 4,564 7,890 8,045 8,719
Change 08.37% 017.61% 010.20% 08.00% 08.88% 053.33% 039.95% 098.18% 072.87% 01.96% 08.38%
Airline Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines Boutique Air Boutique Air Boutique Air
Destination(s) Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver
Prescott		 Denver Denver Denver
Page		 Denver
Phoenix		 Denver
Phoenix		 Denver
Phoenix
Telluride


References
  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for CEZ PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
  2. http://www.departedflights.com/FL030277p12.html
  3. http://www.departedflights.com/JB050184.html
  4. http://www.departedflights.com/CEZ85intro.html
  5. http://www.departedflights.com/VJ080185.html
  6. http://www.departedflights.com/YV121589.html
  7. http://www.departedflights.com/CEZ89intro.html
  8. http://www.departedflights.com/CEZ95intro.html
  9. http://www.departedflights.com/ZK060800.html
  10. http://www.departedflights.com/ZK060701.html
  11. http://www.departedflights.com/ZK100115.html
  12. "1959 "alien landing" was an ROC pilot in a spy plane 「外星人登陸」？ U2機台灣駕駛啦！". Taipei Times. February 27, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  13. "2009 Cortez Aviation Heritage Celebration". Cortez Aviation Heritage Society. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  14. https://www.airnav.com/airport/KCEZ
  15. https://flightaware.com/live/airport/KCEZ
  16. "Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) and All-Cargo Data for U.S. Airports – Airports". www.faa.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  17. "2009 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF, 891 KB). CY 2009 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data]. Federal Aviation Administration. November 23, 2010.
  18. "2010 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data]. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  19. "2011 Enplanements at Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF). CY 2011 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data]. Federal Aviation Administration. October 9, 2012.
  20. "2012 Enplanements at All Airports (Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation) by State and Airport" (PDF). CY 2012 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data]. Federal Aviation Administration. October 31, 2013.
  21. "All Airports with CY 2013 Enplanements" (PDF). Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  22. "Calendar Year 2014 Enplanements by State" (PDF).
  23. "Calendar Year 2015 Enplanements by State" (PDF).
  24. "Calendar Year 2016 Final Revenue Enplanements at All Airports" (PDF).
  25. "Calendar Year 2017 Final Revenue Enplanements at All Airports" (PDF).
  26. "Calendar Year 2018 Final Revenue Enplanements at All Airports" (PDF).
  27. "Calendar Year 2019 Final Revenue Enplanements at All Airports" (PDF).

Other sources
  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1998-3508) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2006-7-19: selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Alamosa and Cortez, Colorado for two years, beginning August 1, 2006. Alamosa will receive three nonstop round trips to Denver each weekday and weekend (18 total round trips per week) at an annual subsidy rate of $1,150,268. Cortez will receive three nonstop round trips to Denver each weekday and weekend at an annual subsidy rate of $796,577. Each community will be served with 19-passenger Beech 1900-D aircraft.
    • Order 2008-5-24: reselecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., d/b/a United Express, to provide essential air service (EAS) at annual subsidy rates of $1,853,475 at Alamosa, Colorado, and $1,295,562 at Cortez, through July 31, 2010.
    • Order 2010-7-5: selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to continue providing subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Alamosa and Cortez, Colorado, for the two-year period beginning August 1, 2010, at the annual subsidy rates of $1,987,155 and $1,847,657, respectively.
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