Aspen Fly Right and Citizens Against Bigger Planes’ claims that there are “several hundred” bigger, dirtier, noisier planes that would operate at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, if allowed , are manifestly false. After presenting compelling evidence in August as to why no commercial airline would ever choose to fly 737s to ASE, CABP changed the narrative on its homepage to say it is now concerned about ” G650 and 737 mainly private.”

Let me first address the Gulfstream G650/700 and Bombardier Global 7500/8000, which currently cannot fly in the ASE — there is a 95-foot wingspan limitation due to our “modification of the standard” for an Airport Design Group III airport — due to their respective spans of 99 feet, 7 inches and 104 feet. These modern, graceful jets feature innovative Rolls-Royce Pearl or GE Passport engines with ultra-low emission combustion chambers that significantly improve performance while reducing emissions and noise. Their aerodynamic wing designs reduce drag and wind noise, further reducing emissions due to lower fuel consumption. The cabins are approximately the same size as many of the larger class business jets already operating at ASE today and are designed to carry exactly the same number of passengers (no more than 19).

There is no doubt that ASE would see some of these jets quieter with planned runway improvements that would bring us to full ADG III status and allow for wingspans of up to 118 feet. Why wouldn’t we want the quietest, cleanest private jets ever built to start replacing some of the older, dirtier ones flying into ESA today?

No one in this valley wants to see Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) or the Airbus equivalent known as Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ). But there is simply no evidence to support the claim that “several hundred” of these people would fly to ESA if allowed. This false narrative, which has now been widely popularized, was likely based on a quick Google search which reveals that approximately 260 BBJs and 213 ACJs were built and delivered. But I would argue that until now, no attempt has been made to properly analyze how many planes are still in service today, nor exactly who owns and operates these planes around the world and where they are based.

BBJs were initially operated by Fortune 100 companies, but many were divested when the 2008 recession put them under scrutiny. Most of the remaining BBJs are today operated by governments for VIP transport around the world, including Australia, Africa and the Middle East.

So how many are still operating today and where do they fly? Although not easy to obtain, this data exists. Thanks to a colleague who worked in the aircraft leasing business, I was able to obtain a copy of a complete list of all Cirium Fleets BBJs and ACJs, a summary of which is shown below:

BBJ Global Fleet

● Total built (1998-present): 260

● Total remaining as of October 20: 167

● Total in stock: 19

● Total in service: 140

● Total wide-body aircraft (747, 777, 787): 18

● Total ADG III in service (737): 130

● Total in North America: 32

ACJ Global Fleet

● Total built (1998 to present): 213

● Total remaining as of October 20: 150

● Total stored: 31

● Total in service: 119

● Total wide-body aircraft (A330, A340, A350): 24

● Total ADG III in service (A318, A319, A320): 95

● Total in North America: 3

In conclusion, there are fewer than three dozen BBJs and only three ACJs operating in North America today, almost none of which serve popular tourist airports. The Bozeman Airport in Montana represents an excellent case study as a rapidly growing ADG-IV airport that now sees more than three times the number of annual flight operations as ESA and a nearly identical mix activities of private and air carriers such as ASE. According to the airport director, “We are not seeing a lot of BBJ/ACJ activity. I would say less than 15 per year.

High above Gypsum Hill is Eagle County Airport, another ADG-IV airport that sees far more private jet traffic than ASE. Although they occasionally see a G650 – and I even spotted an ultra-quiet Global 7500 there myself last January – BBJs are extremely rare there. Ditto at the popular airports of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, both of which also see more private jet traffic than ASE during the summer months.

I maintain that the idea that the ESA would see “several hundred” larger, noisier aircraft if permitted is a false and baseless claim based on emotion rather than actual facts. In my professional opinion, I would say there are probably less than a handful.