Cheyenne Airport Won’t Open For Cheyenne Frontier Days

This story first appeared on Cowboy State Daily

By Jim Angell, Cowboy State Daily

Cheyenne’s airport will not be open for the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, airport officials announced Tuesday.

Nathan Banton, the airport’s deputy director, said a cement shortage has left the airport unable to complete a runway reconstruction project in time for Frontier Days, which runs from July 23 to Aug. 1.

Airport officials had hoped to complete the project in time for the rodeo, but the shortage of cement has pushed back that timeline.

“What nobody could have predicted is a national supply issue with the low-alkaline cement needed to finish the runway project safely,” Banton said.

The news came after United Express, SkyWest Airlines, the airport and Frontier Days had reached a deal to bring three flights a day from Denver to Cheyenne throughout the rodeo. Each jet making the trip would have a capacity of 50 people.

“We were going to run some volume and the bookings were already looking good,” Banton said.

News of the airport’s closure is disappointing, but still, a minor development compared to last year’s cancellation of Cheyenne Frontier Days because of the coronavirus pandemic, said Tom Hirsig, CEO of the rodeo.

“In the big picture, it’s not as disappointing as not being able to have a show,” he said. “I’m glad we get to have a show.

The extra flights would have brought a maximum of 150 visitors to the event, Hirsig said.

“That’s not a great impact,” he said. “It’s disappointing they can’t make it work, but I don’t ever second-guess anybody.”

The Cheyenne Airport has been closed since mid-April when the reconstruction project began.

The closure came about five months after service between Cheyenne and Denver launched in November. Prior to that, the airport served only Dallas-Fort Worth, a route that was closed last spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of people flying to Cheyenne for past Frontier Days rodeos was not immediately available. However, during 2019, a total of 16,696 people boarded airplanes at the Cheyenne Regional Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The runway reconstruction project is part of a $60 million improvement project which includes full-depth pavement replacement, lighting enhancements, repairs, and other upgrades.

Airport officials now hope to resume service by Labor Day, Banton said, adding officials are working to determine how service might be resumed at the airport after the reconstruction is completed.

Airport officials now hope to resume service by Labor Day, Banton said, adding officials are working to determine how service might be resumed at the airport after the reconstruction is completed.

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