Telluride Regional Airport

Mesa Airlines introduced the first commercial airline service to Telluride on December 19, 1985 with flights to Albuquerque and Denver using Beechcraft 1900C turboprops. Flights to Phoenix were added a few months later. Monarch Airlines was serving the airport in 1987 with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop flights from Aspen, Crested Butte, Grand Junction and Vail with the latter service being flown from the Eagle County Regional Airport.[10] Rocky Mountain Airways operating as Continental Express on behalf of Continental Airlines served Telluride from 1986 through mid-1991 flying 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900C and 50-passenger de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprops nonstop to Denver (DEN). Some flights stopped in Aspen (ASE) during the 1986/1987 ski season.[11] The four-engine, STOL capable Dash 7 was the largest aircraft ever to provide scheduled passenger service into Telluride. The Continental Express service to Denver was operated by Britt Airways from mid-1991 through March 8, 1994, then replaced with Continental Connection service operated by GP Express Airlines until January, 1995.

StatesWest Airlines flew Beechcraft 1900C turboprops nonstop to Laughlin, NV/Bullhead City, AZ with continuing service to Orange County and Los Angeles on Saturdays only during the 1989/1990 ski season.[12] SkyWest Airlines operating as the Delta Connection flew nonstop Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia service to Los Angeles (LAX) during the 1990/1991, 1991/1992, and 1992/1993 ski seasons.[13] WestAir Commuter Airlines operating as United Express flew an Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop nonstop to Los Angeles on Saturdays only during the 1992/1993 ski season.

In 1990 the Mesa Airlines flights to Denver began operating as United Express on behalf of United Airlines and in 1992 the Phoenix flights began operating as America West Express on behalf of America West Airlines. Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia and de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 aircraft were periodically added to the flight schedules. The Albuquerque flights ended after the 1992/1993 ski season and the Denver flights ended in early 1998 being replaced by Great Lakes Airlines. The Phoenix flights were upgraded to operate with de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 turboprops in 1998 and changed over to operate as US Airways Express in 2007 when America West Airlines and US Airways merged. All service by Mesa Airlines ended on April 4, 2011.[14]

Great Lakes Airlines began service to Telluride in mid 1998 by taking over the United Express contract formerly held by Mesa Airlines. Great Lakes flew Beechcraft 1900Ds nonstop to Denver and changed over to operating under their own identity in early 2002 after the carrier lost its designation as a United Express code sharing air carrier. Service to Telluride continued until September 16, 2014.[15] Great Lakes returned to the airport in December 2016 with flights to Denver and later Phoenix and Los Angeles with one stop en route; however, all service ended once again on March 30, 2018 when Great Lakes ceased all of their operations with turboprop aircraft.[16]

Boutique Air was then recruited to reinstate commercial airline service at Telluride with flights to Denver beginning on August 29, 2018. The carrier uses 9-seat single-engine Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft. Service to Cortez with continuing service to Phoenix was added in mid-2019 but all service ended on October 31, 2019.[17]

Key Lime Air operating as Denver Air Connection began the first scheduled jet service into Telluride on May 15, 2019, with the Fairchild Dornier 328JET on a daily flight to Denver. The service will operate year-round with the exception of two short breaks in the spring and fall.