History
The airport first opened in 1941 as a military airfield as the United States entered into World War II. After the war, the airport was sold to the city and all commercial activity was moved from the former Santa Fe Municipal Airport/Boyd Field, which was located off Cerrillos Road between Rodeo Road and Jaguar Drive. The new airport was called the Santa Fe County Municipal Airport until 2018, when the name was changed to Santa Fe Regional Airport. The current terminal building was opened in 1957 and has 11,000 square feet of space. It was renovated in 1988 and again in 2004 and has seen a major expansion starting in 2022. In June 1972, Frontier and Texas International Airlines, the two local service air carriers serving Santa Fe, abruptly ended service, citing unsafe runway conditions after multiple aircraft received prop damage from deteriorating asphalt. Neither carrier ever returned, and the airport then began receiving service by commuter airlines operating much smaller aircraft. In 1983, Santa Fe saw its first code share service by a commuter airline on behalf of a major airline. Smaller 19-seat aircraft were mostly used, with the exception of a brief period in 1997 and 1998, when Santa Fe saw two carriers using 32-seat aircraft.
The airport lost all airline service at the end of 2007 but resumed service in the summer of 2009, when it gained its first major airline code share flights using regional jets. Passenger traffic responded tremendously to the new jet service, and regional jet flights increased from once per day in 2009 to as many as twelve per day in 2019.
To help with the increase in passenger traffic, the terminal was remodeled in 2016 by removing much of the restaurant for added gate space. The airport manager's office was converted to a baggage claim room, while the manager was relocated to a portable building. Aircraft had been parked parallel to the terminal building, accommodating a maximum of two regional jets, but were changed to park head in so that three aircraft could be accommodated. On September 27, 2017, the Santa Fe City Council approved an expansion plan for the airport to better accommodate the current volume of airline service as well as future growth. This includes expanding the terminal with added gate space, a new addition for the baggage claim area and rental cars, and a new parking lot with 750 spaces.[6] Coinciding with the approval of this expansion plan was a renaming of the airport from Santa Fe Municipal Airport to Santa Fe Regional Airport. Funding and planning for the expansion began in 2019. A design was completed by Molzen Corbin in 2021, and the only bid received was by Bradbury Stamm Construction. Work began on February 25, 2022 and was expected to take 12–14 months. This expansion will build a 7500 ft addition to the north side of the terminal as well as remodeling of the entire terminal. The roadway system will be redesigned, and the current parking area will be completely rebuilt with the addition of three new long-term lots. A second phase is planned for a 13000 ft addition to the south side of the terminal, which will include a baggage claim area and a restaurant. Until then, baggage claim will be in a portable building.[7][8][9] The expansion has faced several major delays and by January, 2023, was only partially complete. The new long-term parking has been completed while the short term parking nearest to the terminal is still under construction. The completion of the terminal building expansion and remodeling is now set for March, 2024. An extension of Jaguar Road from NM 599 (the Santa Fe Bypass) exit #2 directly to the terminal is also planned for the future.
Historical airline service
Santa Fe's first commercial airline service was by Mid Continent Air Express beginning in 1929 operating on a route from El Paso to Denver with stops at Albuquerque, New Mexico, Santa Fe and Las Vegas, New Mexico as well as Pueblo and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The route was replaced with Western Air Express in 1931 and again by Varney Speed Lines, the predecessor of Continental Airlines, in 1934. The southwest division of Varney was operating daily round trip air service flown with a single engine Lockheed Vega aircraft on a routing of El Paso - Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Las Vegas, NM - Pueblo, CO with continuing service operated by Wyoming Air Service on to Colorado Springs, Denver, and Cheyenne, WY.[10] In 1936, the southwest operating division of Varney was acquired by Robert F. Six who in 1937 renamed the air carrier Continental Air Lines which then began operating Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior twin prop aircraft on a daily round trip routing of El Paso - Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Las Vegas, NM - Pueblo, CO - Colorado Springs - Denver.[11] Mr. Six would serve as CEO of the airline until 1981. Thus, Santa Fe was one of the first destinations served by Continental which would become a major domestic and international airline. In 1940, Continental began operating Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar twin prop aircraft and extended single plane service from Santa Fe and Albuquerque to Roswell and Hobbs, New Mexico as well as Midland/Odessa, Big Spring, San Angelo, and San Antonio, Texas.[12] By the mid-1940s, Continental introduced Douglas DC-3 service, followed soon with Convair 240 and Convair 340 aircraft.[13] In 1950, Continental expanded its service by adding more stops along the El Paso to Denver route, including Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences, Socorro, and Raton in New Mexico and Trinidad in Colorado in addition to Santa Fe and the other aforementioned destinations. However all of the new stops had ended by 1955.[14] In 1955, Continental merged with Pioneer Airlines and took over that carrier's service on the Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Clovis - Lubbock - Abilene - Ft. Worth - Dallas route. By 1959, the airline had introduced its first turbine powered airliner service into Santa Fe with the four engine, British-manufactured Vickers Viscount turboprop operating on four of its six daily flights.[15] By 1963, Continental Airlines was growing rapidly with large jets and began transferring its route authority for its smaller cities to other carriers. The El Paso - Denver route with all the intermediate stops, including Santa Fe, was transferred to Frontier Airlines (1950-1986), and the Albuquerque - Dallas route with all the intermediate stops went to Trans-Texas Airways, which resulted in Continental no longer serving the Santa Fe airport.[16]
Pioneer Airlines began serving Santa Fe in 1948 with two daily round trip flights operated with Douglas DC-3s on a routing of Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Las Vegas, NM - Tucumcari, NM - Clovis, NM - Lubbock, TX - Abilene, TX - Mineral Wells, TX - Fort Worth, TX - Dallas,[17] and by 1953, the airline was operating Martin 2-0-2 aircraft with direct, no-change-of-plane flights to Houston Hobby Airport making eight stops en route (the stops at Las Vegas, NM and Tucumcari, NM had been dropped).[18] Pioneer was then acquired by and merged into Continental Airlines in 1955.
Trans World Airlines, (TWA), began Santa Fe service in 1948 by adding the city as a stop on its transcontinental mainline route using Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Initially, the daily routing was New York LaGuardia Airport - Pittsburgh - Columbus, OH - Dayton - Chicago Midway Airport - Kansas City - Topeka, KS - Wichita - Amarillo - Santa Fe - Winslow, AZ - Phoenix - Los Angeles. Albuquerque was later added as stop on the way to Winslow, and the Martin 4-0-4 aircraft replaced the DC-3s.[19] By 1959, TWA was operating four engine Lockheed Constellation propliner service into Santa Fe with a daily routing of Chicago Midway Airport - Kansas City - Wichita - Amarillo - Santa Fe - Albuquerque - Los Angeles but only in the westbound direction. TWA's service to Santa Fe ended by late 1960.[20]
Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) began flights to Santa Fe in 1963, replacing Continental Airlines at four stops made on the El Paso - Denver route. Frontier initially operated Douglas DC-3 and Convair 340 prop aircraft. By the mid-1960s, Frontier began operating Convair 580 turboprops from the airport nonstop to Denver and Albuquerque, with direct service to Phoenix, Tucson, and El Paso.[21] In June 1972 Frontier (as well as Texas International Airlines) both ceased operating at Santa Fe citing unsafe runway conditions.
Trans-Texas Airways (TTa) began their Santa Fe service later in 1963, replacing Continental Airlines at all the stops made on the Albuquerque - Dallas route that Continental acquired from Pioneer Air Lines eight years prior. Initially, the carrier used Douglas DC-3 prop aircraft and later upgraded to Convair 600 turboprops. In 1967, TTa had introduced the first jet service into Santa Fe with the Douglas DC-9-10 on nonstop flights to Dallas Love Field with continuing direct service to Houston Hobby Airport. DC-9s were also flown to Albuquerque, Roswell and Midland/Odessa on a flight routing to Dallas and Houston from Santa Fe.[22] Trans-Texas Airways changed its name to Texas International (TI) in 1969 and discontinued DC-9 jet service into Santa Fe by early 1970 but continued to serve the airport with the Convair 600's. In June, 1972, both Texas International and Frontier were forced to suspend all flights citing unsafe runway conditions. Neither carrier ever returned.[23]
During the 1960s and 1970s, several small commuter airlines served Santa Fe, including Bison, Trans Central, The Santa Fe Airline Company, Mountain Air, Trans American Airways, Trans Western Airlines, Zia Airlines and Stahmann Farms. These carriers used a variety of commuter aircraft including Cessna 402's and Piper Navajo's on flights to Albuquerque and Denver. Zia had served Santa Fe from 1974 through 1980, also operating flights to Farmington, New Mexico for a short time and had upgraded to Handley Page Jetstream propjet aircraft in 1979.[24]
Larger commuter and regional carriers served Santa Fe from the 1980s through the mid-2000s. A second Pioneer Airlines began flights to Denver in 1981 flying Beechcraft 99 and Swearingen Metro aircraft. This Pioneer Airlines went on to become a Continental Commuter feeder carrier on behalf of Continental Airlines in 1983 before ending service in 1985. This was the first major airline code-share service recorded in New Mexico.[25]
Mesa Airlines began service in 1985 operating Cessna 208 Caravan, Beechcraft 99, Beechcraft 1300, and Beechcraft 1900 turboprops.[26][failed verification] Mesa first operated shuttle service between Santa Fe and Albuquerque then later began service to Denver. In 1995 Mesa's flights to Denver were upgraded to operate on behalf of United Airlines as United Express but all service ended in 1998 and was replaced by Great Lakes Aviation.[27][failed verification]
Mountain Air Express, a feeder carrier for Western Pacific Airlines, flew Dornier 328 propjets nonstop to Colorado Springs in the spring of 1997.[28]
Aspen Mountain Air served Santa Fe from 1997 through 1998 with Dornier 328's on behalf of American Airlines by reinstating nonstop flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth. Although Aspen Mountain Air operated under a code-share agreement with American, they were not considered as American Eagle.
Great Lakes Aviation came to Santa Fe in 1998 by resuming the United Express flights to Denver after the Mesa Airlines contract expired. Great Lakes also used Beechcraft 1900D aircraft and had increased their Denver service to as many as twelve flights per day but then lost their United Express designation in early 2002. They continued to serve Santa Fe independently via their own identity until 2007 as no other United Express carriers had implemented service. Great Lakes returned to Santa Fe with flights to Denver, Phoenix, and Clovis for a short period in 2013 until ExpressJet operating Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets initiated service to Denver as United Express.[29][30][31]
America West Express operated by Mesa Air/Air Midwest also briefly served Santa Fe in 2000 and 2001 with Beechcraft 1900s nonstop to Phoenix via a code sharing feeder service for America West Airlines.[32]
Period without airlines
From December 11, 2007 until June 11, 2009, Santa Fe had no scheduled passenger airline service. In June 2007, the airport was upgraded to Class 1 status to allow regional jet flights. The city's government and interested airlines entered negotiations to split the cost of upgrades. In July 2007, Delta Air Lines announced new regional jet flights would commence in December 2007 between Santa Fe and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Salt Lake City International Airport. American Eagle announced the introduction of regional jet flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and LAX beginning in December 2007 as well. However, all scheduled services were suspended indefinitely pending federal approval of an environmental assessment. Delta and American then removed flights to Santa Fe from their schedules, and it was unknown at that time if and when flights would begin.[33]
The completion of the environmental impact statement was announced on February 26, 2009, but neither Delta or American Airlines immediately announced any resumption of their intentions to serve the facility, citing changed economic conditions.[34]
Resumption of airline service
American Eagle
On March 12, 2009 the City of Santa Fe announced that American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, would begin one daily flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on June 11, 2009. On the day service began, American Eagle announced additional service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) beginning November 19, 2009 with one daily flight. These American Eagle flights to DFW and LAX were operated with Embraer ERJ-140 and ERJ-145 regional jet aircraft.[35] By the spring of 2010, two additional flights to DFW were added followed with a fourth flight by the summer of 2011.[36]
American Eagle Airlines operating under the American Eagle brand was changed to Envoy Air in 2014. Service was soon supplemented by ExpressJet Airlines and by SkyWest Airlines, both operating as American Eagle and both operating Canadair CRJ-200 and CRJ-700 regional jets. Service to Los Angeles, CA (LAX) ended on September 8, 2015 and new westbound service to Phoenix, AZ (PHX) began on December 15, 2016 with one daily flight. With the new Phoenix flight and an upgrade of aircraft type on the DFW flights to the CRJ-700, the year 2017 saw a 41 percent increase in passenger traffic at SAF. A second daily flight to Phoenix was added in May, 2019 utilizing a Canadair CRJ-900 regional jet operated by Mesa Airlines. This aircraft, seating up to 79 passengers, is the largest to serve Santa Fe. In March, 2020, two of the DFW flights were upgraded to CRJ-900's and by summer of 2020, plans called for five daily flights to DFW, three of which would utilize the CRJ-900 and two on the 76-seat Embraer 175. Service to Los Angeles (LAX) was also planned to resume with one flight on Saturdays only.[37] All of these plans came to a halt in mid-March 2020 with the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Instead, service was scaled back to three daily flights to DFW only using CRJ-700 aircraft. The Phoenix flights were discontinued by the end of June, 2020 and resumed in June, 2021 along with up to four daily flights to DFW. A Saturday only flight to Los Angeles was also operated during the summer of 2021. In January, 2023, the two Phoenix flights began operating with the larger CRJ-900 and Embraer 175 regional jets and during February, 2023, two of the three DFW flights as well as both PHX flights operated with Embraer 175's. However, by March, 2023, most American Eagle flights were scaled back to CRJ-700's. Service to Phoenix was scaled back to one daily flight in May, 2023 and a nonstop flight to Austin, TX (AUS) was flown on Saturdays only from October 6 through November 4, 2023.[38]
United Express
On December 19, 2012, it was announced that ExpressJet, operating as United Express on behalf of United Airlines, would initiate twice daily regional jet service to Denver International Airport (DEN) beginning May 1, 2013.[39] These flights were operated with 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet aircraft and comprise the first ever nonstop jet service between Santa Fe and Denver. This service was replaced by Trans States Airlines as United Express in summer, 2015 which also operated Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets. Service had increased to as many as five daily flights to Denver in October 2019. For the summer of 2020, four daily flights were planned and all flights were to operate by SkyWest Airlines with the larger CRJ-700 aircraft.[40] Instead, due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, service was cut back to only one daily flight to Denver on SkyWest using the smaller 50-seat CRJ-200. Service increased back to two daily nonstops to Denver by the Fall of 2021 and to three daily in the Spring of 2023. All flights now operate by CommuteAir using Embrear 145 regional jets. On March 9, 2024, a new nonstop flight to Houston Texas will commence on Saturdays only.
