Aspen/Pitkin County Airport

In 1946, Walter Paepcke and John Spachner founded the airport originally as a privately owned, public use gravel landing strip, primarily used by the Aspen Institute. In 1956, Aspen Airport Corporation officially deeded the airport to Pitkin County, changing it to a publicly owned public use airport. The initial construction of Runway 15/33, as well as a connecting taxi and an apron, was funded by both the county and The Civil Aeronautics Administration. The facility was officially dedicated as The Aspen/Pitkin County (Sardy Field) Airport in 1958. Five years later, its runway was lengthened to 6,000 feet. In 1969, the runway was widened to 80 feet and the apron was increased to 400,000 square feet. In the 1970s, approximately 29 acres was acquired in order to house a new terminal building, with a new apron built in 1973 to service that terminal. In 1983, the runway was again made wider and lengthened to 7,006’ x 100’, and was then renovated again in 2011 to its current size of 8,006’ x 100’.

KASE is located in Pitkin Country, three nautical miles northwest of Aspen’s central business district on 573 acres at an elevation of 7,820 feet above mean sea level. 

● The maximum certificated gross landing weight of aircraft allowed to land at KASE is 100,000 pounds. 

● The FAA has installed an FAA weather camera, in addition to the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) to aid pilots in determining the weather conditions at the airport and the surrounding area. 

● Due to the close proximity of the taxiway to the runway, the maximum aircraft wingspan allowed in KASE is 95 feet.