Grand Canyon Airport

Open house Sept. 10 on Grand Canyon airport runway rehabilitation

Open house Sept. 10 on Grand Canyon airport runway rehabilitation

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Open house Sept. 10 on Grand Canyon airport runway rehabilitation

Open house Sept. 10 on Grand Canyon airport runway rehabilitation

August 29, 2024

Project scheduled for summer 2025 will close runway for about 35 days

TUSAYAN – The Grand Canyon National Park Airport is inviting the public to attend an open house meeting Tuesday, Sept. 10, to discuss plans for a runway rehabilitation project that will result in the runway closing for about 35 days in 2025.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin July 14, resulting in the runway being closed 24 hours a day for about 35 days.

The meeting will include the opportunity for the public to meet the project team and to share information about a $15 million project that will improve safety and operational efficiency for users of the airport, which is operated by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The open house is scheduled from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, 750 Airport Drive, which is listed as 1542 Liberator Drive on Google Maps. While the open house will not include presentations, informational boards and project team members will be available during the event.

The airport’s runway project includes a 3-inch mill and overlay across 75 feet of the runway center section. The project also includes reconfiguration of a taxi hotspot, removal of Taxiway A, rehabilitation of Taxiway B, and updating taxiway designations and signage.

“We’re committed to ensuring the airport remains a safe, efficient and reliable gateway to one of the nation’s most treasured destinations,” said Airport Director Warren Smith. “This runway

rehabilitation is an investment in the future of tourism and aviation in our region.”

If bids come in lower than expected, the project scope includes two alternates that can be added if budget allows:

  • Apply a seal coat to the remaining 37.5-foot section on both sides of the runway centerline.
  • Perform a three-inch mill and overlay on the remaining 37.5-foot section on both sides of the runway centerline.

Either of those alternatives could result in extending how long the runway is closed.

The project will be funded by a Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program grant, along with state matching funds. 

Grand Canyon National Park Airport terminal marks 55 years

Grand Canyon National Park Airport terminal marks 55 years

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Grand Canyon National Park Airport terminal marks 55 years

Grand Canyon National Park Airport terminal marks 55 years

By Julian Lopez / ADOT Communications
November 2, 2022

For more than 50 years, the Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan has served as a hub for many who visit one of Arizona’s most popular tourist sites.

The Grand Canyon airport — owned and operated by the Arizona Department of Transportation — was the sixth-busiest Arizona airport in 2021, serving more than 75,000 passengers.

The current airport opened in 1965 and the terminal was dedicated on Oct. 20, 1967. In honor of the terminal’s 55th anniversary, we decided to take a look at the airport’s past, present and future.

The Grand Canyon National Park Airport is the gateway to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and while the Grand Canyon’s allure stems from its natural beauty, the airport does have modern, man-made amenities. A restroom renovation is nearly complete and other potential upgrades have been identified, too.

The staff at the airport is small in numbers – about 14 – but encompasses a variety of skills and expertise including administrative, maintenance staff and firefighters.

And no blog is complete with some “fun facts,” so here you go:  

  • For the last 20 years, the airport has hosted an annual holiday party for first-grade to third-grade students to decorate a Christmas tree and meet Santa Claus.
  • The airport supports the annual Toys for Tots with the Marines, an event that sees helicopters deliver food and toys to the Havasupai tribe.
  • The airport has featured visits from political figures, including First Lady Jill Biden, who visited the airport in June 2022 while filming a National Geographic’s docuseries, “America’s National Parks.” In 2009, then-President Barack Obama and his family traveled to the airport on Air Force One.

Art of Transportation: Let's fly away

Art of Transportation: Let's fly away

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Art of Transportation: Let's fly away

Art of Transportation: Let's fly away

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications
September 2, 2021

What exactly are we looking at here?

No, we didn't catch any unidentified flying objects. Instead it's an extraordinary long-exposure photo of a pretty ordinary thing – jet airliners taking off out of Sky Harbor International Airport.

Why, you ask, are we sharing a photo from an airport? Shouldn't we be looking down at the highway?

Well, consider this a reminder that ADOT encompasses more than just building and maintaining state highways and freeways (though we spend a lot of time on that too!). As we've talked about in previous blogs, in 1974 the Arizona Highway Department was merged with the Aeronautics Department to create the Arizona Department of Transportation. To this day ADOT continues to play a role in airport development, the Motor Vehicle Divsion registers aircraft and ADOT operates the Grand Canyon National Park Airport

With all that in mind, feel free to fly away on this fantastic shot!

Looking back to when Grand Canyon aviation began

Looking back to when Grand Canyon aviation began

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Looking back to when Grand Canyon aviation began

Looking back to when Grand Canyon aviation began

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications
June 10, 2020

On this day in 1928, according to The Associated Press, the Grand Canyon’s first official airport was dedicated by its owner, Scenic Airways. That airport was the predecessor to the current airport in Tusayan that ADOT has operated since 1974. 

Scenic Airways was founded by J. Parker Van Zandt, and he fell in love with seeing the Grand Canyon from the air while delivering an airplane from Detroit to California while working for the Ford Motor Co. in 1927, according to The Arizona Republic. That article goes on to say that Van Zandt was back at the Grand Canyon soon after negotiating a deal with the Fred Harvey Co. to fly tourists over the canyon.

By the next year, pilots were taking off from dirt airstrips to ferry tourists over the mile-deep gorge, less than a decade after the Grand Canyon became a national park in 1919.

The current airport in Tusayan came decades  later. The 14,000-square-foot terminal, with an A-frame lobby and wood-burning fireplace, was dedicated in 1967.

Today, Grand Canyon National Park Airport is Arizona's fourth-busiest airport in terms of passengers served. The airport hosts six air tour companies and has commercial flights coming in daily from three airlines based in the Las Vegas region. Together, the airport and its tour companies serve well over 300,000 passengers annually.

Scenic Airways eventually became Grand Canyon Airlines and is still in operation today doing charter flights and tours of the Grand Canyon.

For a more detailed look at the early years of aviation at the Grand Canyon, including visits by famous pilots of the day like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, check out this ADOT blog post.

Serving roads and skies since 1927

Serving roads and skies since 1927

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Serving roads and skies since 1927

Serving roads and skies since 1927

By Laurie Merrill / ADOT Communications
December 2, 2019

When it comes to air tourism and travel, Arizona has been on the cutting edge of history.ADOT's Aeronautics Group has been serving airports since 1963

On this day in 1927, Arizona became the first state in the nation to regulate and control commercial transportation of passengers and fuel, according to The Associated Press. That’s also the year that ADOT, then known as the Arizona State Highway Department, got its start.

Today, ADOT manages several functions associated with aviation:

  • In 1963, the state Aeronautics Department was formed to handle the business end of airport development in Arizona. It merged with Arizona Highway Department in 1974 to create the Arizona Department of Transportation. You can read more about this chapter in this blog and learn more about ADOT's airport development role here.
  • Since 1965, the state has owned and operated Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan, which is the fourth-busiest in the state in terms of passengers served. Read more in this blog.
  • In the early 2000s, aeronautics functions were reorganized within ADOT. The aircraft registration unit was sent to the Motor Vehicle Division, the airport development group went to the Multimodal Planning Division and Grand Canyon National Park Airport was organized under the Administrative Services Division.

You may be surprised by how much ADOT handles in terms of transportation in every corner of the state. Aviation is one facet of that.

Grand Canyon Airport staff stay prepared with emergency exercise

Grand Canyon Airport staff stay prepared with emergency exercise

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Grand Canyon Airport staff stay prepared with emergency exercise

Grand Canyon Airport staff stay prepared with emergency exercise

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications
October 14, 2019

Recently, the staff at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport was going about their daily business when suddenly an alarm began to sound and the red emergency phone began to ring. There had been a crash on the west side of the runway as a 25-passenger aircraft was attempting to land!

Fortunately, there was no real emergency. This was all part of a simulated disaster drill that I got to take part in along with the rest of the staff of the Grand Canyon Airport and other local agencies.

While this triennial exercise is required by the Federal Aviation Administration, it gives the airport staff and firefighters a chance to put their skills to the test and evaluate where they could improve so they will be more prepared in the event of a real emergency.

I hung out in the Incident Command room along with Matt Smith, the airport manager, and Michael Cockrum, the airport operations manager, who were busily gathering information from the first responders at the site of the “crash.”

Folks from the Tusayan Fire District, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and Coconino County Emergency Management participated in the exercise alongside the airports firefighters. About 14 volunteers also came out to play as victims in the drill. Emergency responders practiced their search-and-rescue skills to find the victims and then practiced triaging and treating the victims.

These exercises wouldn’t be successful without the help of volunteers and first responders from other agencies. ADOT Emergency Manager Kevin Duby, who was also on-site as an evaluator, said meeting other first responders beforehand makes you a better team when a real emergency occurs.

The Grand Canyon Airport staff and other local agencies are better prepared for real emergencies thanks to exercises like these.

For more information on airport and the exercise, watch the video of the scenario put together by our video crew.

ADOT’s Grand Canyon Airport holds required emergency-response drill

ADOT’s Grand Canyon Airport holds required emergency-response drill

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT’s Grand Canyon Airport holds required emergency-response drill

ADOT’s Grand Canyon Airport holds required emergency-response drill

October 2, 2019

PHOENIX – As news about an airplane crash near the runway sets off an alarm inside the operations building at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, airport managers begin following their emergency procedures as firefighters rush to tend to victims.

This major drill that staff the Arizona Department of Transportation-operated airport completed recently is critical to being ready for the real thing. The exercise, required every three years by the Federal Aviation Administration, makes sure staff are ready to put the airport’s emergency plan into action.

The experience also gives airport personnel and firefighters an opportunity to put their emergency-response skills to the test.

“This is a great chance for us to practice what it would be like in a real emergency,” Grand Canyon Airport Manager Matthew Smith said. “It gives us a chance to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and make adjustments where we need to.”

The scenario involved the crash landing of a 20- to 30-passenger aircraft, with airport staff and first responders responding as if it were a real emergency. Smith, along with other senior airport staff, manned the incident command room using radios to communicate with first responders. They filled out log books and went through the list of proper agencies to notify.

Meanwhile, first responders begin triaging and treating the “victims,” portrayed by local volunteers. They also practiced their search and rescue skills to find the victims.

The exercise involved about 15 participants from a number of local agencies and 14 volunteers posing as crash victims. Participants included the Tusayan Fire District, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and Coconino County Emergency Management.

“The best thing about these exercises is getting the community involved and meeting the players who will respond to real emergencies beforehand,” ADOT Emergency Manager Kevin Duby said. “It makes you that much better of a team.”

For more information on the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, please visit azdot.gov/grandcanyonairport.

Aeronautics Group helped make us ADOT, continues serving airports

Aeronautics Group helped make us ADOT, continues serving airports

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Aeronautics Group helped make us ADOT, continues serving airports

Aeronautics Group helped make us ADOT, continues serving airports

By Dani Weber / ADOT Communications
July 3, 2019

It’s been little more than a century since the Wright brothers flew the first flying machine just outside of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and modern air travel is almost unrecognizable from its humble roots. Today, ADOT's Aeronautics Group handles the business end of airport development in Arizona.

“The Aeronautics Department was set up in statutes in 1963,” former Aeronautics Group Manager Michael Klein said. “From 1963 to 1965, the Grand Canyon Airport was designed, built and open for business. Then the governor decided we needed a joint transportation agency.”

From that time until 1974, the Aeronautics Department acted in the capacity of Arizona’s aviation agency, Klein explained, and was solely responsible for air travel in Arizona. In July 1974, the governor merged the Aeronautics Department and the Arizona Highway Department, together making the Arizona Department of Transportation. From then until the early 2000s, the Aeronautics Division, as it was known then, took care of aircraft registrations and oversaw operations at Grand Canyon National Park Airport.

The Aeronautics Division functioned mostly autonomously, with anything having to do with aviation going through it. Then, in the early 2000s, the Aeronautics Division was reorganized within ADOT. The aircraft registration unit was sent to the Motor Vehicle Division, the airport development group went to the Multimodal Planning Division and Grand Canyon National Park Airport was organized under the Administrative Services Division.

Klein spent 11 years as an airport development consultant and 18 years managing four commercial service airports before coming to ADOT.

Old Image of Grand Canyon Airport

“My time there were some of my most enjoyable and productive years. My time with ADOT gave me the greatest amount of satisfaction and enjoyment.”

Nowadays, the Aeronautics Group is dedicated to dispersing grant funding to eligible capital improvement projects at qualifying airports. There are 67 airports in their system and $20 million to allocate each year. That funding is usually divided four different ways:

  • Matching FAA grants for runways, taxiways, aprons etc. (90% FAA / 5% ADOT / 5% airport)
  • Funding airport improvement projects directly (90% ADOT / 10% airport)
  • Funding pavement maintenance (90% ADOT / 10% airport)
  • Conducting planning studies, including economic impact studies of airports

According to the last Economic Impact Study (2013), aviation generates $58 billion to the state annually. Nearly 17% of all Arizona jobs are related to the aviation industry. That’s about 410,000 jobs generated, with an annual payroll of $21.1 billion. Keeping Arizona’s airports in good working order is critical to supporting one of Arizona’s most important economic assets.

The Aeronautics Groups continues to work with Arizona’s airports to make sure they remain functional to their customers. Air travel is a vital part of Arizona’s economy, and ADOT is an important piece that helps the system work.

Firefighters at Grand Canyon National Park Airport keep training sharp

Firefighters at Grand Canyon National Park Airport keep training sharp

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Firefighters at Grand Canyon National Park Airport keep training sharp

Firefighters at Grand Canyon National Park Airport keep training sharp

June 18, 2019

PHOENIX – Firefighters need regular training to be ready for emergencies, and that goes for the seven firefighters assigned to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Tusayan.

Recently, ADOT’s firefighters traveled to the San Bernardino Regional Emergency Training Center, where trainees benefit from life-size models that simulate hazards ranging from a plane with overheated brakes to a fire in the passenger cabin.

“This type of training keeps our firefighters at the ready,” said Matt Smith, manager of the Grand Canyon Airport. “In the event of a crash or other emergency, lives are on the line and every second counts.”

Serving more than 336,000 passengers in 2017, the last year for which figures are available, Grand Canyon National Park Airport serves as a local hub for tourists wishing to experience the park via air tours. The airport hosts six air-tour companies that fly visitors over the canyon, hosts a skydiving company and sees daily commercial flights from airlines based in the Las Vegas region.

firefighter-training-2
ADOT’s firefighters, who live in housing at the facility, respond to an average of 60 calls per year. The airport is the state’s fourth-busiest in terms of passengers served.

To make sure its firefighters are ready for those calls, ADOT has sent them to training within Arizona and to New Mexico, Utah and, now, California.

Even during exercises, the firefighters must take great care. While fires on the aircraft models are controlled by computer, fires can break out on their own. This adds a sense of realism to the training exercise, and trainees must use caution and safety practices as they would in a real emergency.

During the training, the firefighters’ vital signs are measured throughout the day to make sure everyone is fit and healthy.

“We pursue excellence in everything we do, especially critical firefighting skills,” said Smith, the airport manager. “There is no substitute for the experience gained from live-action training.”

The Grand Canyon Airport has three fire rescue vehicles, including a truck with a Schnozzle, a piece of equipment that can puncture an aircraft fuselage and spray 1,500 gallons of fire-suppressing foam or 500 pounds of dry chemical extinguishing powder.

For more information on Grand Canyon National Park Airport, please visit azdot.gov/GrandCanyonAirport.

ADOT-operated airport supports Grand Canyon tourism, area economy

ADOT-operated airport supports Grand Canyon tourism, area economy

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT-operated airport supports Grand Canyon tourism, area economy

ADOT-operated airport supports Grand Canyon tourism, area economy

April 11, 2019

PHOENIX – It probably isn’t a surprise that Grand Canyon National Park Airport is a gateway for many wishing to experience the natural wonder of Arizona’s signature tourist attraction. In the process, it supports tourism and the area economy.

What might surprise you: The Tusayan airport, which is the state’s fourth-busiest in terms of passengers served, is owned and operated by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Tourists from all around the world fly into Grand Canyon National Park Airport. Open since 1965, it serves as a local hub for large tourist groups wishing to experience the Grand Canyon via air tours.

In managing the airport, ADOT hosts six air-tour companies that allow visitors to fly over the canyon for a unique experience. It also hosts a skydiving company that brings added attraction to the area.

“It’s our goal to support tourism to the Grand Canyon and be a good neighbor to the local community,” said Matt Smith, ADOT’s Grand Canyon airport manager.

On average, the airport sees 275 commercial flights daily from three airlines based in the Las Vegas region, allowing people to make visiting the Grand Canyon part of their Las Vegas getaways. In 2017, the airport and its private air-tour operators served more than 336,000 passengers.

Grand Canyon National Park Airport accommodates smaller commercial passenger jets, generally those weighing less than 100,000 pounds, but it can accommodate Air Force One, a Boeing 747 that has visited twice.

Seven firefighters employed at the airport – and who live on site – are trained to respond to major incidents well as medical emergencies. The airport has three fire rescue vehicles, including a truck with a Schnozzle, a piece of equipment that can puncture an aircraft fuselage and spray 1,500 gallons of fire-suppressing foam or 500 pounds of dry chemical extinguishing powder.

The facility also houses four snowplows to keep the runway clear, with firefighters pulling double duty as certified snowplow operators. With an elevation of more than 6,600 feet, the airport sees between 50 and 100 inches of snow annually.

An FAA tower completed in 2003 controls air traffic at Grand Canyon. Federal rules set restrictions on flights over the national park.

Cities, counties and regional airport districts oversee most U.S. airports, with only a handful owned and operated by states. Because Tusayan wasn’t incorporated, Arizona assumed the responsibility of operating Grand Canyon National Park Airport when it opened. Built on U.S. Forest Service land, the runway was completed in 1965, while the terminal was dedicated in 1967.

ADOT assumed ownership of the airport in 1974 when what was previously known as the State Highway Department merged with the Arizona Department of Aeronautics.

For more information on Grand Canyon National Park Airport, visit azdot.gov/GrandCanyonAirport.