Grand Junction Regional Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of Grand Junction, in Mesa County, Colorado. Owned by the Grand Junction Regional Airport Authority, it is the largest airport in western Colorado and third largest in the state, behind Denver Intl. and Aspen.
Federal Aviation Administration records show 212,588 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 228,850 in 2009 and 219,358 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a primary commercial service airport.
The airport opened in 1930 as Grand Junction Municipal Airport. In 1942 it was renamed Walker Field for Walter Walker, a former publisher of The Daily Sentinel newspaper who helped obtain funds and business support for the airport. The airport and the airport authority were renamed on May 15, 2007. Grand Junction Regional Airport is undergoing a $20 million renovation, of which $700,000 will pay for signs with the new name. The airport's terminal and fire building will continue to be named for Walker and a new $19 million roadway under construction will be called Walter Walker Blvd.
